Forbidden Hunger
by The WolvGambit
Summary: AU: Banished from his clan for refusing to take a mate, he lived alone…suffered alone, and hadn't fed in ages. She was an outsider, a survivor. What happens when they meet? An unbearable hunger. GSR Winner of the 2009 GSRFL Fan Fiction Awards Best AU.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

Vocab:

_Vampire: A new species of human, not necessarily one with common myth. Feeding from humans is rare and often forbidden, they do not kill, garlic and crosses do no damage, and their only enemy is sunlight. Although sunlight is not fatal, it can be increasingly incapacitating to any vampire in its path. After exposure, a vampire usually needs to feed before being cast to sleep. The longer without blood, the more time it takes for the healing process to begin. Decapitation is the only sure way to kill a vampire. If properly taken care of a vampire can last centuries. _

_Half-breeds: A cross between a human and a vampire, often known as 'light-walkers' or 'sun-striders', often outcast from their individual clans when a true-blood mates with a human female or vice versa. Half-breeds are often rare since the union between humans and True-bloods are often discouraged and forbidden. Half-breeds usually have the tendency to crave human blood, when their hunger consumes them they often commit suicide. _

_Bled: Marriage in certain clans; to be bled means that the male and female of a clan have had their blood combined in a basin from slit right wrists and have drank the combined blood under a full moon. _

_True blood or pure blood: A vampire born into a clan with no human relatives, often regarded with the utmost reverence and respect since there are very few in existence. _

_Blood-lust: Where a vampire has waited too long to feed. More experienced vampires can hold off the hunger and live for extended periods of time without feeding. Although it is not advised. _

_Mate: The female or male of a bled couple. _

_The council: A group of vampires that are high in the hierarchy, usually the only true-bloods within the clan. Councils usually consist of five males and five females. They usually vote on clan laws and which members of their clan should be banished for their indiscretions. In certain clans males or females can be banished for not taking a mate, hungering for human blood, and murder is punished very severely. _

_Blood-packers: A group of humans that drain vampires of their blood and sell it to the highest bidder. True-bloods are highly hunted for their blood for its healing properties and aging benefits. A human can live for almost as long as a vampire by regular ingestion of a true-bloods life force._

XXXXXXxxxxxx

Prologue

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

He hated the rain; how it made him feel. It was one of the reasons he felt empty. Centuries past and once his family no longer wanted him he decided it was time for him to move on. He looked in the mirror at himself, how much that his life had changed in the passing 50 years. It would be his 250th anniversary soon, a thought that he could no longer bare.

_The ballroom was alive with activity. Bled couples dancing closely together to the orchestra in the background. He never liked these ceremonies, but he was forced to come. Each male was supposed to choose a female to be bled together and create young. He just didn't share his brethren's hunger. _

_"Rhodock my brother, are you not going to partake in the female company tonight?" A brightly decorated male came up to his side, a man by the name of Jonathan Rice. "I would, but I've already been bled. Marie is enough female for me inside and out." _

_"I feel that there is something wrong with me, Johnny." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've been in this society for over a hundred years, and yet I do not wish to mate with any of these females. I crave something I do not understand. Something I'm not allowed to have something that is forbidden amongst our group." _

_"Roddy, how long has this been going on?" John asked with a frown. _

_"Too long, as long as I can remember. I bedded a female once, and it just didn't satisfy me. Her taste was exquisite, but it did nothing to quench my thirst. I haven't fed since then." He held his head down in shame. "I've heard the council talk of banishing me. I feel it would be best, I would not be offended if it did happen." _

_A crack of thunder split the sky followed by lightning. The illumination lighting the sky for that brief second as the rain fell and the sky again went dark. "Where will you go?"_

_"I do not know. All I really comprehend about myself is that there is something utterly wrong with me. I crave what is forbidden, I have no desire to take what is offered, and I can't bring myself to be bled for a female of my species." Sighing, he caught his reflection in the mirror. His blue eyes cloudy and torn, his hair graying at the temples, his skin smooth to the cleft of his chin, the cloak was pure straight black and his figure screamed sex…but for all he was weary. "I feel as if I should be leaving this place, John. Take care of yourself; I am going to retire for the evening." _

_Two days later he was sent on his way, ten years later he migrated to the United States, it wouldn't be until 150 years later he would meet her…_


	2. One

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

One

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Her day had gone from bad to worse. If it wasn't one thing that could go wrong it was another. She got fired from her job, her favorite dress got lost at the dry cleaners, her heel broke, her makeup fell down the sewer grate after she dropped her purse, her rent was due in three days, and the phone company finally cut her phone. Sometimes she wondered why she tried at all. The only good thing that had happened was when her best friend called saying that she could tend the bar at the place he owned. Nick had always been like a brother to her since her own family abandoned her when she was six.

She didn't get her big break until she turned fourteen, a man named Jim Brass found her and took her in, gave her a life and everything she needed. Took her off the streets and invited her into his home, provided for her. Soon they relocated to Vegas, her papers were changed, she was officially adopted, and by 25 she had several friends. Life for Sara Sidle was looking up.

She struggled, went to college, set down plenty of part time jobs, as much as Jim wanted to help she wouldn't let him. Sara wanted to do it all on her own. Two degrees later with one to go, she finally had to lean on Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders. Their bar on the corner of the strip brought in business, and she'd make her first paycheck to pay her rent by the end of the week. Life was doing better once again. If only the rain would stop.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxx

He loathed himself as he placed the cigarette between his lips once again and took a long drag. He'd been trying to quit the nervous compulsion but it didn't seem to matter, he'd picked up the habit 50 years ago and had been struggling with it the whole time. They were addictive, even to his species. Crunching the smoldering stub between his shoe and the pavement, he let the rain pelt his head as he continued to walk down the crowded streets of Vegas. He was glad for once for the cover. His wet gray curls stuck to his head as the rain saturated them, the cold dulling the ache in his body. Every once in a while the hunger would come back and he'd have to fight it. He remembered that he hadn't taken a vein since he was banished. It was dangerous and stupid, but it sickened him what he could not do.

Continuing down the street, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his gray trench coat and trudged mechanically down the way, his expression heavy the lights burning his eyes but he welcomed the sting. He felt the impact at his shoulder and his arm down his right side as something solid connected with his body and lurched back. The warmth connected and retreated, with reflexes he forgot he'd possessed, he reached out and caught whatever it was before they had the chance to fall.

"Thank you, I'm so sorry I'm in a rush and I'm…Never mind, thank you and I'm so very sorry."

Her voice was like instant music to his ears, his body warmed as his eyes finally settled on her form. She was beautiful as the rain continued to pelt against her slender form her wet hair curling against her face, her dark green coat covered with water, her face was smooth, everything feminine, and her eyes were a rich chocolate brown. His eyes fixated on the pulse point in her neck. He watched as it flicked with her increased heart rate, her respiration was shallow, and her smell teased his senses. Even though she wasn't aroused, his body still responded to hers with a hunger ten times greater than he'd ever felt. The craving he'd fought so hard to bury came back at full force as he willed his mouth to move to say anything. What seemed like days that they were standing in the rain was only a split second as he cleared his throat and wheezed.

"It's quite alright my dear. Just make sure to avoid the rush, that's how accidents happen." He bowed and released her arm; walking away it was best he tried to get his body under control once more.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

She'd been rushing, it seemed like she was always rushing, the rain continuing to pelt on her head as she tried to keep up her steady pace. It was only a few blocks more, that's all it was, but she ran into someone and she thought she would be meeting the pavement and braced herself for impact. When it didn't come, she took a few precious moments to catch her breath and apologize to her savior for the collision. Speaking meekly she cleared her throat and as their gazes locked she lost her breath all over again.

He was beautiful, a token of true beauty. From his graying curls to his well muscled form underneath that gray body length trench coat. The coat was open revealing a drenched blue silk shirt that hugged his curves and planes in all the right places. His muscles bunched underneath the fabric. It led down to a pair of black dress slacks all the way down to a pair of black dress shoes that shined in the neon lights. Slowly she trailed her eyes up to his face meeting his blue eyes, eyes so blue she thought she'd pass out for the sheer intensity of his focused gaze. He was clean shaven and achingly smooth, for a few seconds she pictured herself nibbling on the cleft chin that focused his strong jaw.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. His grace in speech surprised her and burned her insides…just as he started to walk away she watched him as a flood of heat snared through her body. She tried to quell it immediately, but the hunger was there…for a perfect stranger.


	3. Two

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXxxxxx

Two

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Standing totally dazed and stock still she felt the heat from his gaze and touch even after he walked away. It was strange, illusive, and utterly overwhelming that she thought she'd pass out from the sheer intensity of the moment. Swaying slightly, she recaptured her footing and continued heading towards the bar which was her destination in the first place. Completely unaware of the blue eyes that were following her along the way.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Even though his mind focused on the task of putting as much space between them as possible, his body wouldn't let him. Her blood pooled in her veins, her heart beat thudded in his ears, a searing hunger took over his body; one that he hadn't felt in over a hundred years. He'd managed to quell it, no matter how painful, but her smell, the texture, her life force called to him. He was being drawn right back into the hunger he'd tried so hard to forget.

He'd hated what the movies had turned his species into; the hunger for human blood amongst their kind was true only for half breeds. And even so, they usually never drank from humans because they couldn't find a mate to be bled to. They usually wound up having themselves buried because of their shame. Over and over again he was told he was born a pure blood, a true blood, one of the many of his kind. One that was forbidden the contamination of the human bond. But as he made contact with the human female, he couldn't help the instincts that flooded through his system. He wanted what was forbidden…always had from the day he was old enough to know what true blood-lust was.

His body ached and his mind spun as he watched her continue to her destination. A full tome of power, a soul worth connecting to, and a taste he hungered for. Shaking his head he continued down the ally that he had stepped into and made a beeline for his townhouse. It was time to get indoors and forget about everything that was happening with his betraying body.

XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey girl! You're a little late." Was the shout at the end of the bar in a drawn out Texas drawl.

"Yeah Nicky, terrible weather and a crowded street will do that to you." She answered hanging up her coat. "What's on the menu today? I'm starved."

"Well I'm bringing out the onion rings and those grilled vegetables that you love." He smiled rolling a beer her way across the counter. "So, Jim tells me you're looking for a job."

"Yeah, I am. I was hoping I could work here."

"I have no problem with it, especially since you need rent. I know he's worried about you Sara."

"Jim's always worried." She smiled.

"Why don't you ever call him 'dad'? I mean he adopted you and practically raised you." Nick asked with a small smile.

"I don't know, I guess it just feels weird if I call him 'dad'. I tried it once before and it just feels more like home when I call him Jim, James, or Brass. Being abandoned by your real parents will do that to you."

Nodding he turned back to the bar. "How'd that date with Hank go?"

"Hank? Nick you're really behind. There hasn't been a 'Hank' in months. I was the other woman in that relationship remember?"

"Oh, sorry. It's been really busy around here." He rubbed his temples. "Greg's been asking about you."

"How is Greggo? He finally get up the nerve to talk to Marie?"

"Yeah, they're going pretty steady."

"That's good, I'm glad that he's found someone to spend some time with. He deserves it."

"He still has that crush on you on the backburner you know."

"Yeah, I know." She shook her head as he came back with the plate of veggies. "I hope that he doesn't hold that for long."

"Greg would be good for you."

"Yeah, but something is missing with Greg. We'll both find who we're looking for one day. I mean look at Catherine. She found Warrick and Lindsey has a great father now."

"True, very true. So what are you studying now?"

"Physics, biology, obscure sciences really. But you know me, always looking for more."

"Of course, that ever expanding mind of yours."

"Yep."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

He continued to wander the streets, the rain had stopped making his trek a little easier, even though that the wind was becoming a slight hindrance now. Taking the back streets was easier, it made it easier for him to avoid all the questions surrounding his eyes and how they glowed at night…saved him from wearing sunglasses and being questioned by the police. Tonight, it saved him more than usual from the hunger that he found it so easy to avoid before. In actuality he'd never found it this hard to quell. It was always easy, food usually sustained him…but now his craving for blood was drawn to the forefront. He was reminded of his nature tenfold.

Turning the corner, he came up on his townhouse on the end of the street just off the back ally. _Home,_ he thought absentmindedly, _and it hasn't felt so empty in a long while._

Opening the front door he lit off a couple of candles in the corner of the room as he made his way inside. The collection of fine art and cases upon cases of mounted butterflies adorned his walls as he made his way towards his couch to sit down. He'd had so many places to call home within the past hundred-fifty years, this one was the one that felt most like a real home in a long time. Changing his name along the way, now Gilbert Grissom.

Sighing, he couldn't remember what caused him to come up with that funky name or why. But it was better than going by his given name in his original family. Vincent Lamont Rhodock III and to this day he wondered where his sire came up with that name. Being pure blood should have its advantages, but it didn't; especially naming wise. He'd never go back to that name as long as he lived. Gilbert would do nicely.

Rewinding through his day, he couldn't help but focus back on the young female he'd had a run in with only hours before. Even now he could see her as vividly as if she were right in front of him. Shaking it off, he slipped off his shoes and set them to the side, ridding himself of his wet shirt and placing it on a hanger to dry; his coat was hung on the hook just beside the door. On sock clad feet with a bare chest, he made his way towards his bedroom down the stairs past the kitchen to the left of it and down the hall. Heading through his bedroom towards the bathroom he skillfully shucked his pants and tossed them at the hamper in the corner of the room followed by his socks as he started up the shower. Steam started to envelope his form as he then shed his boxers and slipped into the warmth of the water.

He hissed at the contact, his fangs jutting out of their housings in his mouth, the hiss then tapered off into a strangled groan as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It had started all over again, his skin always so sensitive when he was curved with that mad hunger. After a century and a half without he'd forgotten how bad it could get. As with all sensitivity, he hardened in a rush and hissed again, the cobra like sound resonating through the bathroom as he palmed himself. Hot, thick, and hard as steel, the only thing that could sate his hunger now was her and he berated himself for it as he stroked himself to completion. Picturing himself between her thighs as he stabbed his fangs into her neck and then sealed the wounds closed with his tongue. No other fantasy he ran would do as he tried over and over again.

Stepping out of the shower he tried to recall what John once told him about the beginnings of hunger. The urge to be territorial of a female usually started with the outrageous sexual want out of thin air. Usually something in the scent of her, or her voice, or the way that she settled her eyes upon you would trigger it. Maybe even the smell of her blood. His body lurched as another wave hit him, stomach clenching with need as his vision blurred. Usually he was so controlled; rare meat only sustained him so much. Admitting he needed another to live was not on his major list of ego-boosting.


	4. Three

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Three

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

She carried a small pang with her all the way back to her small apartment as she gave half the rent to her land lord. She earned a lot of money that night just for the few hours she put in. She'd be working every night from 6 to 2 in the morning and sleeping until classes started at 7. The hours fit into her schedule and she had no reason to complain. Nick was always good to her.

As she started to make her way to the bathroom the phone started to ring and she picked it up while she reached in the fridge for a beer.

"This is Sara, talk to me."

"Hi kiddo, how was your day?" Came the friendly voice of her adoptive father.

"My day was hell until I got to Nicky's for my new job. The rain didn't help much." She answered. "How was yours, you enjoy the joys of teaching?"

"Some of those kids are pretty bright; they just don't want to put in the initiative." He sighed. "If Randy doesn't get his test scores up, he's not going to make it to next semester and I'm going to have to cut him. Rich parents can only get you so far."

"True that." She laughed. "I'm just getting ready to get a shower and go to bed. How about we do lunch tomorrow after my seven o'clock class. Around eleven thirty?"

"Sure, I'm off tomorrow so I'll see you then."

"Bye Jim."

"Night kiddo."

Placing the phone back in the cradle, she turned the stereo up to some rock station and started working on her bath. His image clouded her vision again as she shook her head to clear it. If she thought about it, it was a bit exhilarating for a man to look at her the way he had. It had been so long since someone had looked at her like that. With a hunger a need even Hank hadn't looked at her like that. Though, she again shook herself out of those thoughts and turned the taps to stop the flow of water.

Stripping down she added a bit of lavender oil and settled herself into the steaming cocoon that was hot water and fragrance. Breathing in deeply, she sighed and started to relax. She let her mind wander…

**"Beautiful, no flower, no landscape, no painting, nor the moon in the night sky, or constellations bright can compare to the beauty that is you my dearest." His voice was melodic, a soft homely tone that was base, erotic, and completely sensual all at once. His face appeared to her minds eye, those graying curls, that strong jaw and cleft chin. His eyes opened shining a bright and brilliant blue, glowing in the darkness, so much in fact that she was sure there was no color that could be produced by the human eye. **

**"I don't think…" His fingers pressed to her lips as he came forward, his body unbelievably naked as it pressed into hers, the sinful press of skin against skin, he was heavy and hard trapped between their bodies and she couldn't deny the rush that settled between her thighs at his heated gaze. He was hot like a furnace, burning her from the inside out and she could only want more. **

**"You are, without a doubt, more beautiful than any creature I have ever seen." That voice was so hypnotic that she found herself surrendering to its timbre. Its promise of fulfillment like she'd never known. **

Sara bolted upright in a panicked haze as water sloshed on either side of the tub soaking the rugs below. Her body trembled as she ran a hand through her hair, her fingertips catching in the tangles in her haste to come to grips with herself. Wincing she released her hair and popped the drain plug letting the water trail down the drain along with her dream.

Rising on shaky legs, she grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped it around herself as she started to make her way towards her bedroom. The cool air chilled her skin and made the hair rise on her arms in a succession of gooseflesh. It had felt too real, way too real, and she'd only seen the man hours ago. She wondered what cruelty was teasing her body with such thoughts. Completely and utterly shaken she started to dress for bed in a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top and tried to will herself to sleep as she waded through the cotton sheets of her bed and sighed. She'd worked to hard and she needed sleep…that's what she needed…sleep.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dawn was slowly approaching, he could tell by the way his body was willing him into sleep, but he just couldn't go. He was too wired and too damned hungry. A couple raw t-bones and some hamburger later, plus extra blood and he was still starving. His fangs ached, his body tightened, his stomach groaned low in protest, but he wouldn't risk trying to find her and sate his hunger. It wouldn't be fair to her, most of the human population didn't even know of the existence of vampires. They put it into folk lore and those ghastly Hollywood films of their kind turning other humans into them. The only humans who did were a small group that him and his brethren called 'blood packers'. A group of humans, who drained vampires of their blood, then cut off their heads. The blood was sold on a very, very private black market for anyone who wanted to unlock its secrets. Pure bloods were the most hunted, which explained why there were so few now.

As he sat down in his chair his chest heaved, his heart pounded, and his hips swiveled in mid air right off his spine in a long slow arch as he pictured her vividly in his minds eye. In all his 250 years he'd never had the urge to mate, not even with the female he'd bedded three months before his exile. His body was just one big mass of fucked up wiring when it came to matters of the opposite sex concerning his own species. He clung to the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white as his hips jutted forward again, undulating of their own accord. Gil sat with a fine sheet of sweat coating his brow waiting for the spasms to pass as he wondered what caused his baser instincts to come to the forefront. What caused his body to start running on full throttle mating behavior.

"GOD!" He gritted his teeth as his fangs elongated out of their housings his head tilting back on a hiss. His hand came off the chair and his palm cupped himself through his flannel pajama bottoms as the pressure helped ease a bit of the pain. Rubbing himself loosely, he grunted with a sigh and started to rock into his palm. The friction keeping some of the hunger at bay, but it could only sate him for so long. He hoped the whole day wouldn't go like this or nightfall was going to be a bitch.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Rolling over and hitting the button for her alarm she squinted at the time. 6:45 a.m. well shit. Her night sucked like hell, erotic dreams one after the other with the man with blue eyes. She still had classes to go to with only 3 hours of good sleep and then she had to high-tail it to the bar. Life wasn't fair.

Showering and dressing in quick succession, she grabbed an apple on her way out and shouldered her backpack. It was going to be a long day.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Two p.m., he'd finally managed to find a place to rest at two p.m. His hunger wasn't sated, but at least he could rest until sunset. Hopefully.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She'd stumbled up the stairs into the diner across the street and smiled as she saw Jim sitting in a booth in the far corner nursing a cup of coffee. "Hey!"

"Hi, thought you weren't coming."

"You know I will always, I just happen to be late sometimes. Class ran extremely late due to presentations today." She huffed and looked at her menu. "So how's your day been?"

"Spent the day with Warrick, Catherine, and Lindsey. It was an interesting experience to say the least." He sipped his coffee. "So what's for lunch kiddo?"

"Well you can get whatever you want; I'm going to have one of those vegetable wraps with the pita bread with a side salad."

"Alright."

Just then the waitress came by and took their orders, him the strip steak and her the vegetable wrap pita bred special with side salad.

"So how's Cath and Warrick?"

"They're doing quite well actually, and they're very proud of Lindsey. She's doing famously in school and on her way to that scholarship if she keeps her grades up."

"That's wonderful, I'm so pleased to hear it."

The rest of their lunch went without hesitation in conversation as they talked and ate all the way up till around 1:30. Hugging Jim, she politely excused herself to go back and finish her classes before 4, and then she had a few hours to get ready for her nightly shift. It was always so interesting…not.


	5. Four

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Four

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Same path different day, same path different day, same path different day. That had seemed to be her motto this week for every night that she made the trek from her apartment towards the bar that Nick owned for her shift. One more day and she'd have two nights off. Two glorious nights off and she'd be able to spend them curled up with her favorite ice cream watching movies. The day's she figure out her plans later but she knew what she was going to do those nights.

Making a beeline through the path of passing people she was abruptly pulled into an ally and a strong hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream.

"You look like a smart woman." His face was partly covered in darkness but from what she could tell he was average, slightly tanned skin, blue beanie, trashy clothes, ripped shirt. "But I may take that back since I'm sure your parents never briefed you on the dangers of being out at night alone."

His breath was rancid and his front two teeth were rotted beyond repair. She tried to kick him off, tried to trip him but he held steady, he held strong and his body seemed to get closer to hers. That sweaty, nasty stench made her want to vomit what she'd had for a quick snack on the way over.

"You going to play nice? You going to be good for me?"

Sara closed her eyes and willed her body to relax, willed her heart to stop pounding in her ears…

"I suggest you let her go." _That voice…_

"Get lost dude, this here is my woman…find your own."

"I would beg to differ since the female in question does not bare your mark. I'm sure if she were able to speak for herself she'd give detail on how you are not within your rights to call her yours."

She opened her eyes and to the side of her vision she saw him. He looked even more addictive now than he had before. She adored how his clothes hugged his body all the way down to his shoes and back up again. Her eyes caught his and she watched as the piercing glow cut the darkness like a knife through butter. They were utterly beautiful and although logical thought told her she should be afraid, she could not find herself to become so.

The man turned his head to face her savior and let her go. "Listen man, I think you didn't hear me…I said get lost, this is mine."

His hand started to shove him backward but in what looked like a wave of motion so quick that if you blinked you'd miss it, he had his arm tucked behind his back and his body pressed against the brick wall where she had been.

"And I told you that she has not been staked claim to. Hear me and hear me well, you will not touch this female or any other for if I so much as catch a whiff of feminine scent I will hunt you down and gut you. Of that you have my solid vow as the blood in my veins continues to run. Do I make myself clear?" His voice contained a venom and malice that she had never heard before, a promise of pain to come if his instructions were disobeyed in any shape, form, or fashion.

A brief nod later and a snap of a limb, he tossed the man down the ally as if he were a rag doll and he landed with a thud. After a few moments he turned to her and she got an even better look at his profile. A very defined man with ample everything and the body of a Greek God hidden underneath men's clothing. He was broad, fit, and muscular, his body and his stance demanded respect and his posture screamed sex. As he knelt before her she went back to the dream a few nights ago and shuddered as her body came alive. It couldn't be possible, this feeling that she felt. But as she looked into his silver-blue eyes, she knew nothing else.

"Are you injured my dear?"

"I don't think so." She said as she finally caught her voice, a pain in her side told her otherwise as he helped her rise from the asphalt. Cupping it softly she gasped at the pain and leaned against the wall. "Well I thought not, but my side really hurts."

"Would it displease you if I looked upon your flesh to asses your injuries?"

"I beg your pardon?" She asked questionably with a confused tone to her voice. Her eyebrow quirked skyward.

She watched as his eyebrows shot up in response to her query and then his face took on an expression as if he were choosing his words carefully. "Will you allow me to look at your side?"

"Oh, sure…just be careful I don't really know how banged up I am."

"I shall use the upmost caution." He softly spoke as he eased her towards the light on the strip and raised her shirt gently. Along her side she had a steady set of gashes, most likely from where she hit the pavement after she was tossed aside by the man who tried to either mug or rape her. She watched his eyes continue to glow and shift, his fingers were surprisingly gentle and he touched her with a reverence and respect she'd not known anyone to possess. "Is there somewhere I can take you where we can tend to these properly?"

"Yeah, but I need to call my boss and tell him I'll be late."

"Of course."

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fear.

Like a raging storm filled with a salty yet sour air, it was thick and heady…and laced with lavender and spices. There was only one person whom he'd had contact that smelled like that. The female that he'd run into almost a week ago, if not even that. Even her smell lingered and it was strange. As he got closer to the ally just off the strip, the scent kept getting stronger until he saw her underneath a male who wanted what she was not going to give. On impulse he spoke up, the fight ensued, words were dealt, and he made a pact that he never thought he'd make…ever.

He watched from the corner of his eye as she talked to someone, her employer no doubt, then clicked off the phone and turned to him.

"I'd like to thank you."

"Merely standing in your presence is gratitude enough. Now, a place to tend to your wounds?"

"I've got some medical supplies in my apartment."

He nodded and tried to rein in the flare of protectiveness that he felt towards the young female in front of him. His body ached anew with the sweet reminder that she'd, most likely, never accept him for who he was. Even if he was no longer a member of his society, he still considered it forbidden. Gil's body quaked with two totally different hungers, one for her blood, and the other for her.

As they continued down the street and became closer and closer to her place of residence, he realized that he no longer wanted to bandage her wounds, but he wanted to lick them shut. Heal them with his tongue just to get a taste of her. His squashed the thought just as she opened her door and turned on the light.

"What is your name?" Her voice brought him out of his struggle.

"Gil Grissom." He stated without hesitation.

"Sara Sidle." She responded by holding her hand out.

On pure instinct he grasped her hand gently in his and placed his lips against her skin, breathing in her true scent. Strength, power, and something extremely heady flowed off her scent with a subtle flare of pheromones that kicked his baser instincts into gear. She called something out in him, something primal, an urgency. Slowly he released her hand and caught his eyes with hers, holding them there.

"I am greatly honored to stand in your presence miss Sidle. Now, please allow me to tend to your wounds. Where do you keep your first aide kit?"

"Bathroom, bottom cabinet below the sink." She sighed and placed her purse on the coffee table, taking a seat in front of it.

He quickly glanced through her supplies and picked out some antiseptic, some gauze pads, and a few band aides in assorted sizes. After a few more moments, he walked back into the living area and settled himself in front of her.

"So where are you from?"

"A lot of places." He said with resignation placing some of the antiseptic on one of the gauze pads. "Please lift your shirt for me."

He felt her eyes on him as he cared for her cuts and scrapes. Her voice brought him, yet again, out of his fog. "Your manners are very good, I have to say. Chivalry is pretty much dead."

"Where I come from, the female is highly regarded and respected. Nothing else will do and there are certain penalties for mistreatment." He grabbed some ointment and placed it on a bandage. "I must say that good 'manners' as you call them are in short supply anymore. I abhor the mistreatment of any female and hope that any male who does so gets their punishment."

"You are very kind."

"I know no other way, and do not wish to." He bowed before her as he cleaned up his mess after he finished with the bandages. "You have blood on that shirt; I suggest plenty of cool water with a small cup of bleach."

"I'll go change."

"I'll finish cleaning up."

As the door separated them he let out a rushing breath and felt his fangs ache once again. Her scent is what triggered it, that and the scent of her blood. Power, grace, and youth a beautiful and vibrant female worthy of respect. Mixed spices, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, lavender. His body arched of its own accord as he desperately put a hammer over that part of his instincts. He couldn't get attached to her, he couldn't let himself.


	6. Five

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Five

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

She'd never met a man like him, a man so kind, gentle, and caring as he was. It was strange too, a complete stranger saving her, taking care of her, and bandaging her up right before she went to work. Something about him made her body heat, her mind reel, and her senses become more acute. She hardly knew him, and yet, she wanted so much more from him. Putting her shirt in the hamper by her bed, she turned towards her closet and pulled out a green turtleneck sweater to go with her jeans. Sara thanked her lucky stars that Nicks bar was casual dress.

Taking a few moments to clear her mind and get her body under control, she remembered the smoky, heady scent that came off of him in waves while he was tending to her. It was a beautiful mix of everything male and she wanted to get another lungful. She spied him as she came out of her bedroom and looked towards her kitchen, his back was turned, the muscles tense and bunched under his grey shirt. His pants were pressed and showed off his ample muscles as he leaned against her counter. At this point in time she figured it was a good idea to break the tension in the room.

"I'd like to thank you again."

"Thanks is not necessary, Sara. It was my pleasure to serve you." He responded in that low timbre as he turned to face her. "Do you have anything I may quench my thirst with?"

"There are bottles of water in the fridge, I rarely have anything else."

"It is sufficient." He replied walking towards her refrigerator in the corner of the room and grabbing a bottle. He cracked it open and slugged half of it down in one go. "Thank you."

"No biggie." She smiled. "I've got to get to work now, Nick told me to take the night off, but I can't I need the money so I've got to go."

"Allow me to escort you there."

"Not necessary. I'm sure you've got more important things to do."

"Nothing is more important to me than making sure that you are safe my dear. There are several more males like him, I'm sure, and I do not wish for another situation as the one that transpired here today."

She looked at him; her eyes caught the silver glow and lingered in their depths before turning away from his gaze. "If you want."

"Very much so, nothing would please me more."

XXXXXxxxxxxxxx

"Sara! Good God in heaven, I told you to take the night off. Are you alright, did you need to go to the hospital?" He watched as the man from behind the counter rushed around and embraced her. He wanted to growl but he quickly squashed the feeling when he detected no threat from the human male.

"I'm alright Nick, I had help." Gil watched as she turned her face towards him and smiled quickly before turning back to the man she called 'Nick'.

"Well, anyone who takes care of Sara is alright in my book. Nick Stokes." He offered his hand in greeting.

"Gil Grissom and thanks is unnecessary. It sickens me what some people will do." He clasped his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Dinner is on me tonight. What will you have?"

"It is not necessary. I'll gladly pay you for you hard work."

"You saved my best friend, and sister…that's payment enough. Please, go ahead."

"If you insist." Gil eyed the menu carefully and finally made his selection. "The quarter-house round steak slightly seared, but still a tad bloody with a squeeze of lemon double fries with ranch dressing."

"Coming right up." He watched as he headed towards the kitchen and then turned to see Sara giving him a strange look.

"Something wrong?"

"Rare meat?"

"Do I offend you with my meal selection?" He asked softly. "I do not wish to, doctor's orders. Some of my proteins are lacking that I can only receive from partially raw meat." The explanation he had to give tore him in two, he didn't wish to lie to her.

"Oh, I don't mind…it's just that I do get queasy sometimes at the 'raw meat' thing. I'm a vegetarian."

"Please do tell me that you eat well. Not just the occasional salad?"

"I do. I eat more than salad." She smiled.

"I'm glad, you need to keep yourself healthy."

The moment was interrupted when Nick came by with his steak and a plate of grilled vegetables for her with a side of wild rice. "Enjoy, and if you really feel up to it, you can start after your dinner Sara."

"As always."

"So Gil, what do you do?"

"I'm more of a freelance worker, even though I really don't have to work."

"Stacked?"

"Pretty much, my family left me a pretty nice sum of money; I don't boast about it, it's no ones business. But I live modestly." He shrugged cutting a thin strip of steak and testing it. "Wonderful cook."

"Yep, many things Nicky can do, cooking is one of the best. That's why he needs all the help he can get."

"I see." He smiled as he took another bite. "How about you, my dear? What are your interests?"

"I'm working through college. I'm really in between what I want to do. I'm debating either teaching or becoming a specialist of some kind."

"Very interesting work."

"It can be." He watched her dip her veggies in his ranch dressing, he pushed it in between them as he dipped his fries as well. He held one out to her.

"Fry?"

"Thanks." She reached to take it but he shook his head and leaned his arm forward. She took the offering between her lips and chewed thoughtfully. He smiled brightly and watched as her face turned to a shocked expression. Immediately knowing why, he quickly wiped his fingertips on the napkin in his lap and covered his eyes.

"Gil?"

"Don't…Just don't."

"Let me see."

"No. You'll fear me, just as everyone else does."

"I'm not afraid, just startled. The color of your eyes is like nothing I've ever seen before." She touched his shoulder. "Please let me see."

Sighing he dropped his hand with a thump on the hard wood of the bar and turned to face her, what he saw in her face surprised him. A mixture of awe and wonder as her hand came into contact with his smooth cheek. Her touch caused him to harden immediately and he turned his hips towards the bar to hide his rampant need. Praying for help, he smiled lightly and turned back to the rest of his steak in front of him and chewed thoughtfully, hoping the blood in the meat would give him a bit of strength. It was only temporary.

"Why would anyone be scared of such a thing?"

"Because they are not normal. People often fear what they don't understand, take different races for example. Whole groups of people slaughtered because of the color of their skin. Religion as well, people fighting against people because of their beliefs. It is the majority of human nature to fear what does not make sense. The kindness that you show my anomaly in the human world is like a breath of fresh air." He turned to face her with a broad grin, hoping that his fangs were still partially hidden. She wasn't ready for that, even if he had a small amount of hope.

Sara nodded and turned back to her veggies dipping another one in the dressing. "Do you like vegetables?"

"Certain ones yes, broccoli, carrots, and sometimes I have the strange hankering for eggplant at times." He smirked. "I will not eat Brussels sprouts though, but mostly all veggies."

She held out a piece of broccoli towards him and his eyes glowed in delight as he took the offered food between his lips, snaking a little further catching the tips of her fingers in the process. Pulling back he chewed, swallowed, and then licked his lips with a very low almost inaudible growl. "Thank you."

The taste of her skin had him reeling from the inside out combined with the vegetable kick and the tang of the dressing. He mentally kicked himself; courtship behavior was so unacceptable, especially since she didn't know what it was. Silently berating himself, he finished off his steak and then the fries. At the last fry on the plate, she reached for it, but he was quicker. Silencing the rational part of his brain, his instincts took over as he dipped the offering in the dressing and brought it to her lips once more. Watching as her lips closed around the fry and his fingers a jolt that felt like he'd been struck by lightning ran up his spine. He bit the inside of his mouth hard to keep the groan at bay, his body jerking slightly as he did. She was pure temptation, and he needed to stop.

Taking the napkin from his lap, he quickly wiped his face clean and made to get up. "This has been a lovely evening, and maybe we can do something again sometime?"

"Of course, I'd love to. I'm off Saturday night, how about a movie?"

"It would be an honor." He took her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss on the knuckles. "Until then, my dear."

Once again the moment was broken by the arrival of Nick to clear the dishes. "I hope you found everything satisfactory."

"More than satisfactory, Nick. I do thank you for your kindness. I do have some errands to run, so I'm afraid I must be going. I shall come back here for another meal quite soon. Good evening." With those words he turned to Sara and pulled out his wallet, searching for one of his old business cards. "I thought I'd gotten rid of them all from my old job. Here you are my dear, both of my contact numbers and email. Feel free to keep in touch. I'll see you Saturday."

"Bye…"

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara sighed as she finished bussing the last few tables for the night and quickly brought the dishes back in the back. Greg had come in at the middle of her run and they had chewed the fat for a while. Now they stood side by side at the sink washing dishes. Him washing, her drying and putting them in their appropriate places.

"Nick told me earlier that you were attacked. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine; I met someone who saved my ass."

"The 'Gil' that Nick had mentioned? He described him as the 'perfect gentlemen'. Is he, Sara?" Greg asked with a smirk.

"Yes, it's hard to believe, but he is the perfect gentlemen. At least so far."

The clanging of dishes filled the air for a few beats. "How are things going with Marie?"

"They're actually going along quite nicely. I'm going to be off for the next couple of weeks, Catherine said she'd fill in for me, Marie and I are going on vacation."

"That sounds wonderful."

"How about you and Mr. Right?"

She laughed. "I barely know the guy, but I think we have plans for a movie Saturday night."

"Nice, you deserve someone that's going to treat you right Sara. I hope this guy is promising."

_You and me both._ Sara thought to herself as she hung the towel on the rack beside the sink. "Well, shift's over Greggo. Call me sometime; we really need to catch up."

"Indeed we do."

"Goodnight."

"Yep, goodnight to you too."


	7. Six

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Six

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Clacking the keys on her end table next to the door, she sighed and turned to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. Shift had been long and she was finally glad that it was over. On her way home, she felt a slight chill go up and down her spine. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was still managed to throw her off balance just a bit.

All the way home she felt as if someone was watching her and if the wind caught just right, she'd catch a very familiar smell. Extremely familiar and as she concentrated on it she remembered exactly where it was from and let out a sharp gasp, dropping the water to the floor.

"Shit." Grabbing a stack of napkins from the counter, she knelt down and sopped up the mess and picked up the bottle from the floor. He'd been watching her…but she had the distinct feeling that if she called him he'd deny it. Just like she didn't truly buy the story about the 'raw meat'. Though as much as she tried, there was such a gentle aura about him, something soft, sweet, and blissfully sensual. He treated her like no man ever had.

Putting a plug on her foggy thoughts, she started to get ready for bed, she was going to enjoy her Saturday and hopefully he'd be stopping by for that movie. Shucking her clothes, she pulled on her pajamas and settled into bed, tomorrow would be a day for sleeping in and then she'd be spending the day with Jim, Catherine, Warrick, and Lindsey.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He couldn't believe what he had done, couldn't wrap his mind around his actions. All he meant to do was bid her good night and try to erase her from his mind. However, the harder he tried, the more problems he had. She lingered with him and now he had the urge to continuously protect her during the night hours. Gil knew it was dangerous if he got caught, knew that she'd probably ask and he'd have to deny. But it would be well worth it to make sure that she was safe. How he wanted to be with her, how his body ached for her.

Screw forbidden, she was absolute sin…although he knew that since he was no longer part of a clan he could do as he pleased, it just felt so wrong for so long denying a part of himself. Denying everything about himself, living that lie. This time he could not fight it as his body arched off his bed, his hand reaching for his erection as it kicked in his grip. His fangs elongated as he let out a strangled moan, sweat coating his brow and hairless skin.

"Sara…GOD…Ohyes…" He groaned as he swiveled into his grip, he pumped wildly his orgasm taking him by surprise as it coated his belly and chest. Puffing out a wild breath he shut his eyes and pictured her smiling face and automatically came again. Still achingly hard, he rolled to the side and grabbed the towel off his bedside table, wiping himself off as he headed for his bathroom to take a shower.

Gil looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes were practically all silver, his fangs were still out, and his body was completely flushed. He'd never felt so alive, ever. His heart thumped in his chest as he turned towards the shower, the heat scalding his skin as he placed his arm against the wall above his head and leaned his head on it. He started to breathe slowly, in and out, closing his eyes in a sort of meditation. Tremors ran though his body, up his spine, down his legs and arms, with enough force to make his teeth chatter. It was her taste that he was after, that heady mix of power and strength. The taste of a survivor.

With a flick on the temperature controls, he shut off the water and turned towards the sliding doors on the shower stall pulling the towel down that hung above it as he stepped out. Giving himself a light dry, he put the towel back up, stretching it to dry and walked back into his bedroom wading under the sheets and finally was able to rest for a little while.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well Sara, how are your classes going?"

"They're going pretty good. I'm actually really getting into the physics class. It's interesting and stimulating."

Catherine and Sara were sitting in a booth at one of the café's in the mall while Jim, Warrick, and Lindsey were checking out the menu. She'd already ordered a salad and was just waiting on them.

"You know Sara; I was just told this morning by Nick that you were attacked last night. Why didn't you call me?"

"Because I was okay and I didn't want to worry you."

"That's no excuse Sara and you know it. I know that you want to be independent, but independence can only go so far. If that man wasn't there last night you could've been dead. I'm worried and upset at the same time now. If you would've told me when it happened it would've been a little bit better." Jim sighed and sat down across from her and Catherine. "You know I respect your choices but this one could've cost you."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure there won't be a next time."

"I hope there won't be."

"Alright everybody, let's dig in." Warrick broke the moment as he started passing out the food. "Salad for Sara extra croutons and ranch dressing, cheeseburger for me, Catherine gets the chicken dinner, nuggets for Lindsey, and Jim gets the waffle basket."

"So what are you doing tonight?"

"Probably my usual, curl up with a good movie and have some ice cream."

"What about that guy who saved you, Gil? Nick said he was a good guy, very polite." Catherine interjected. "Sounds like you've got a catch."

"I just met him."

"Well from what I've heard, he sounds like a keeper…get to know him."

"I don't know." Sara sighed, rolling a crouton around on her plate.

"C'mon, what have you got to lose?" She smiled softly. "You have his number don't you?"

"Yeah. I'm just not sure, I mean the last relationship I had turned out to be a disaster. Really, all of my relationships thus far have been disasters."

"Well you can't let it get you down." Warrick added from the side. "Doesn't hurt to try."

"I suppose not."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sighing she pulled the tub of ice cream closer to her and pressed play on the movie she'd picked out for the night. As the opening credits started to roll there was a knock at the door. Sighing dejectedly, she pressed pause and walked towards the door to look through the peep hole. Out in the hall stood the distorted form of Gil Grissom.

Unlatching the chain she opened the door to look at him. "Hi."

"Good evening. I didn't know what time to come over since I realized I didn't have your number so I figured I'd just go ahead and make myself known." He smiled softly.

"It's fine; I was just getting started actually. To be perfectly honest, I didn't think you'd come."

"I said I would and I never go back on any plans that I make." He walked in as she opened the door wider and stepped back taking him in. He wore a green tee shirt with blue jeans and a pair of New Balance sneakers. The jeans were snug, form fitting, and he looked completely yummy to her. Then she realized what she was dressed in and her cheeks went crimson. "I think I should go change."

"It's not necessary. You're comfortable, and this is your home. Feel free to wear whatever you desire." Gil's eyes lit slightly. "And please tell me that what's in that carton is chocolate."

"Sweet tooth?" She laughed as she walked towards the kitchen to grab another spoon.

"One of my many weaknesses."

"Mine too."

"So what are we watching tonight?"

"I just put in the Matrix. I haven't really been able to finish it and I've been wanting to so I bought it. I was just getting it started when you knocked." She sat the carton between them. "Ready?"

He nodded and turned his head towards the screen as the credits resumed. "I think this is the only set of moves I can actually stand Keanu Reeves in."

She nodded in the affirmative. "Yeah, I just can't stand the Agent Smith guy."

"He's dreadfully annoying, especially with the 'evil villain' type of monologue that you just wish to cause him bodily harm."

"I agree." They clinked spoons.

"Sorry."

"Ladies first."

She dipped her spoon and turned to him. "To dip, but not to eat."

His eyes widened and brightened with a slight twinkle as she brought the spoon to his lips and he opened his mouth. A slow rumbling purr escaped him that he couldn't stop as he dipped his own spoon and repeated the action for her. He'd heard the satisfaction of other males talking about feeding their females and he thought what they had described didn't even come close to the satisfaction and elation that he felt feeding her. The movie was long forgotten as their eyes locked while they fed each other spoon after spoon of ice cream until their throats turned numb from the cold.

After half of the carton was gone, she turned back towards the TV and paused the movie. "Glad I'd seen all of that part before we started that. I'm going to put the rest in the fridge."

"I'm going to use the bathroom."

"Of course."

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

He sighed as he splashed some cool water on his face and up behind his neck saturating the grey curls there. His body was still betraying him as he tried to concentrate on anything else but the look in her eyes as they were feeding each other. Rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, he berated himself about knowing better then to continue with his current behaviors. Grabbing the counter until his knuckles turned white, he fought with his body to calm down, trying to persuade the ache to recede.

Visions passed before his eyes of everything he wished he could do. He wanted to worship her body; he wanted to make love to her wholly and completely. Wanted to cover her body with his scent, mark her neck with his fangs, and taste her lips, the essence between her legs…it was too much. Way too much. He was becoming attached with no way out and his mind was losing the battle with his body, with his instincts.

Closing his eyes didn't help, so he refrained. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her, smelt her, felt her, tasted her. It was a never ending cycle as his fangs continued to ache. His body taut with tension. Gil just hoped that he could make it the rest of the night.

XXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Coming back to herself she was glad for the slight separation from the intenseness of the moment. His eyes, the wonderful blend of blue and silver, the hue shifting, changing, and even glowing. What she saw in those depths aroused and frightened her at the same time. She saw hunger and felt it herself. Felt her response to that smoky fragrance that his body seemed to throw off whenever he was in her proximity. It made her shiver, made her ache…made her want things she didn't understand.

Cracking open a bottle of beer, she continued to mull over the reactions her body had to his proximity as they fed each other the cold dessert. It made her hot, it made her wet. His smile, his grace, his fluidity. It taunted and teased her. She couldn't fight it as she placed the cold bottle against her forehead, that's when she heard the door to the bathroom unlock and watched him walk out.

As their gazes locked, that aching silver blue to her brown, her breath caught as he smiled at her. A tease of gleaming white teeth as he started to make his way towards her. "Shall we resume our movie?"

"Yeah…sure." She turned towards the fridge. "Would you like a beer?"

"Yes, please." Using it as an excuse, she bided her time by popping the cap with her bottle opener and then made her way back to the couch where he was seated in front of her TV, graciously awaiting her arrival. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

Not trusting her voice, she nodded and settled back into the cushions and tucked her legs up under her after pressing play on the remote.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

As the movie progressed, she began to notice his proximity more and more. The ache she felt seemed to get worse and worse, not uncomfortable, but undeniable. She felt an urge that she hadn't felt before. Something that shocked her. Out of nowhere she pictured him above her, those eyes, those lips parting as he leaned down to kiss her, trailing kisses down her neck, nipping at her throat. That smoky scent engulfed her once more and she gave a little shake to try and pry herself away from those thoughts.

Finally the end credits rolled as he looked down upon her. She'd become much closer to him as the movie progressed, the warmth of her body tucked against his side, her head on his shoulder, her breath on his neck. His body hummed to life as he licked his lips in response. All during the movie he was driven insane by the smell of her arousal. That ripe, sensual, honeyed fragrance of pure woman. A kiss of beautiful sugary-sweetness that made his body hum to life and on more than one occasion he had to shift his legs to make room for his erection.

Now with her breath on his neck he pictured her sinking her teeth to the side of his neck…the beautiful sting followed by pleasure as she sucked the skin in her mouth leaving it utterly raw. He needed to get out of there fast. Turning off the appliances, he lifted her in his arms and walked a ways until he found her bedroom. His body quaked in protest, but he managed to complete the task of settling her to bed as he made his way back to the kitchen to find a magnetic pad and a pen. Writing a brief note, he tacked it to her fridge and made his way out of the apartment to his car. It was definitely time to go home, only a few hours till sunrise.


	8. Seven

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Seven

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yawning she rolled over and sighed as her eyes finally got a glimpse of daylight outside. Turning over, the clock read 9:15 a.m. but she couldn't come to full wakefulness. Feeling refreshed she decided to lay there for a little while longer as her body finally caught up with her mind. Vivid dreams, so very vivid. Urges she'd never felt, and she remembered how she felt after she heard the door click shut. She was hungry, so very hungry.

She remembered a set of long unused toys in her bedside table as she clicked one of her vibrators to life and pleasured herself. All the while picturing those eyes on her as he thrust strongly between her legs. The wet sounds and the smell of her own arousal as she tried to call back the scent of his smoky fragrance that always called an answering rush between her legs. She wished that she could combine those scents and find out what it would lead to.

Clearing herself out of her haze she started to make her way towards her shower while stripping her remaining clothes off. Testing the temperature, she stepped inside the steamy space and started to wash. In an instant she was hit with images of them, of her pressed against the shower wall as he took her from behind. Opening her eyes and gasping for breath, she shook her head to clear it and started to get on with her day.

Finishing her shower, she toweled off and wrapped it around her as she made her way to her dresser. Picking out a matching set of undergarments, green lace bra and panties; she then made her way to her closet for a set of jeans and a shirt.

XXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

Trying to let the classical piano soothe his overstressed body, he tried so hard to concentrate on pinning the bugs he collected to the tack-board in his office. His five chapters were due in the next few weeks for that Entomology text book that he'd agreed to write for. In all honesty, he really didn't need the money, but he needed something to occupy his time with. More so, however, here lately to occupy his mind. Though, no matter how hard he tried, it just didn't last. The aching in his fangs and stomach had turned into a throbbing pain that stretched all the way through his upper palate and was slowly turning into a migraine. His erection a constant throb between his thighs as he occasionally put pressure on it with his palm. It was starting to get ridiculous really, really fast.

She'd called him earlier in the day wanting to go out for a new movie in the evening. Against his better judgment he agreed. He knew the longer he stayed around her, the more he got to know her, the more the urges were going to multiply…but he couldn't stop himself. He craved her contact, craved her smile, craved _her._

It was, for lack of a better word, inevitable.

Without further preamble, he shed his shirt and sat down in his office chair scooting away from his paperwork. Unzipping his pants, he gripped himself in what had become his daily ritual since running into her. He distinctly remembered the picture she presented while he put her to bed the night before. Those beautiful chocolate curls flared around her stark white pillow, the peaceful expression on her face, the way the shirt she was wearing rode up her stomach when she rolled to her back before he stepped out and quietly shut her door.

Groaning loud, he bumped into the wall behind him as he arched into his grip, the back of his head connecting with a loud thunk as his fangs jutted and he hissed. His orgasm was fierce as he came more than once, over and over again. His marking scent coated the room as he opened his eyes and let out a huge whoosh of breath trying to calm his heart rate.

Picking up the shirt from the floor he wiped himself off and headed for his shower. It really was inevitable.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

"So I heard that you're going on a date tonight." Catherine smiled as she scooted next to Sara at the bar in Nick's restaurant.

"Damn, word travels fast doesn't it? It's really not a date; I'm just going out for a movie."

"Did he ask you or did you ask him?"

"Well considering that he doesn't have my number, I asked him." She sighed, her fork wading through her salad. Looking up at Catherine she sighed. "What was it like for you and Warrick?"

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"How did you know?"

"That he was the one? There was something in his eyes, something about the way he treated me. He was and still is kind, gentle, and always thinks about my needs before his. Why? Does Gil have that effect on you?"

"Yes." She answered then turned her head and muttered. "And something else too."

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The movie had been extremely quiet except for the occasional comment and sidelong glance. Nothing like the one in her apartment had been. Maybe it was the less intimate setting, however she decided not to dwell on it long as he clasped her hand in his and led her towards the door.

"How about we go to Nicks for dinner. He's still open, right?"

"He's closed on Sunday nights." She sighed. "However, there is a very nice café in the mall that we can go to."

"Anything for you my dear." He smiled as he opened her door. Surprised, she got in and settled herself as he closed her door and got in on his side.

"You are way too good to me." She placed a hand on his arm.

"I take it you're not used to being treated like the gem that you are."

She blushed crimson. "I'm not-…"

"Yes you are, Sara. You're absolutely beautiful. A token of the female species and a wondrous, vibrant female worthy of worship." He cut her off with his words bringing her hand to his lips, nuzzling it.

"You're going to give me a complex."

"It would be well earned."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So why are you really hanging out with me? Is it obligation to what happened a few days ago?"

"Not at all. I'm here because I want to be. I'm sure that if I were to run into you in a normal way that I'd be in the exact same place now." He assured her confused by her question.

"I mean, you're just too good to be true." Her face carried a puzzled expression as she finished off her salad and moved on to her soy bacon, Lettuce, and tomato sandwich.

"Do my actions make you uncomfortable?" He asked finishing off his first hamburger and moving on to the second. "I'm just trying to please you."

"No, they make me feel overwhelmed. But in a good way." Her smile made him ache. How he wanted to trace his tongue over the small gap in her teeth. "It's just that I'm not used to good things happening to me. Plus I'm sure that there are a lot of women that are competing for your attention. I'm average; I don't really stand out in a crowd."

"If there are other females trying to catch my attention, I do not notice them. You may think that you're average, but you are beautiful, Sara. I understand hardship as well. Not very many good things have happened to me either."

"But you have money, you probably had a good childhood, and I'm pretty sure that you're not lacking in company of the opposite sex."

"Money isn't everything, and I do not have a lot of women banging on my door. I had a relationship, a very long time ago and it did not pan out. My childhood was lacking in certain areas and because I refused to marry my family disowned me. I've been on my own ever since." He took a sip of his drink.

"Refused to marry?"

"I grew up in a society that was hard-pressed that males were to find a suitable partner and wed to have children. I refused because I could not bring myself to love someone that I did not know of my own violation. We were required to marry within the group. And before you ask, no none of the females were in direct relation to us."

"So royalty?"

"In an odd sense of the word, yes. I was a member of a royal family; I was respected for being one of a kind in my society. However, my status condemned me in certain areas. The female that I thought I loved, well it wasn't to be true. I've never been with anyone since then and I do not pay for gratification. It's pointless and unnecessary." He sighed picking at the remainder of his fries. "When you grow up in a world that demands the most of you, sometimes the only way to get out is to refuse. So when they disowned me with enough money to get by for several years to come, I could only go willingly. It was what I wanted."

"Are you happier?" Her eyes connected with his and his breath caught in his throat.

"Yes, even though I am lonely from time to time. I'm exceedingly happier than I was."

"What do you look for in a woman?"

"Trust first of all, and willingness to share emotions, feelings, and other things with me. A huge amount of intimacy, someone that I can bare my soul to and vice versa. I wish to be able to know someone from the inside out, I wish that I was accepted and not feared." He stated simply. "What do you wish for in a male?"

"Well trust is a big issue for me as well. Someone who's honest, cares a lot. Is willing to share their feelings as well as accept mine. A deep sense of intimacy as well, the ability of soul searching. Someone who won't leave me for someone else."

"If there is a man who has left you for another, then he is an utter fool. However, one male's loss is another's gain." With that she smiled.

He wanted to return her smile but he knew as soon as he'd open his mouth his fangs would pop. They'd been harder and harder to control recently with their tenderness. He could hardly stand to eat it hurt so much. Without preamble he snatched the apple in the center of the table without warning and bit into it, letting his fangs sink deep into the red flesh of the fruit and relaxing a bit. Taking a bite and chewing for good measure, he kept the fruit in front of his face to hide the tips of his fangs from her notice.

"That was mine." She pouted.

Chuckling he put the fruit back in his mouth for cover and started putting their trash in the bin by the exit door and then bent down before her the fruit still in his mouth. Gil's eyebrow raised in silent invitation as he pointed to the apple with his forefinger. Without warning she placed her hand on his shoulder and leaned in, catching the apple with her teeth and biting down firmly as she tilted her head to the side for a better angle. Not completely free of his gaze her eyes flicked to his as he watched her. What she saw had her totally motionless. His eyes flickered to white before going back to that blue, his pupils widening till almost all of the iris disappeared in that black background. Finally able to pull back, she reached up to wipe the juice from her chin only to feel his thumb beat her to it as he placed the digit to her lips and she suckled softly. She could've sworn she heard him purr his approval.


	9. Eight

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Eight

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the week was consumed by the urgent needs that he'd only brought upon himself. It was a test to see if he could sever the connection. He couldn't have been more wrong. His body went into overdrive trying to make up for the absence; it was so bad that he couldn't even sleep without waking up burning alive. Though, through the absence he was able to concentrate just enough to finish his chapters for the text book, reread them several times, and finally email them to the company that had asked for them.

For just a short time he'd allowed his mind to wander and think about why he started studying entomology. It had to be the butterfly he had seen while he traveled over a hundred years ago. From then on he started watching how the species evolved through out the years and started to expand his search to different species of bugs across the planet. He'd been intrigued and it had occupied his time and took his mind off the hunger that he had to quell. Through out the years, it was the first times he'd felt somewhat normal. Just somewhat, even though he couldn't be out during the day, he could watch it though the special UV tented glass that he always had installed no mater where he went.

It was then that he let out a huge sigh of sorrow. He wouldn't be able to do all of the normal things with Sara than any other man could. He wouldn't be able to hold her hand and walk on the beach; he wouldn't be able to see the sun rise or set outside, wouldn't be able to swim with her under the sun. But the persistent hunger for her remained.

After a few moments of silent brooding his phone rang and brought him out of his ravine.

"Grissom."

"Hey."

"Sara?" His body hummed to life at the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, what'cha been up to?"

"Work, I had some articles to write for a text book that should be published at the beginning of next year. I would've called but I still do not have your number."

"That's right, you don't. Sorry…" She rambled for a few minutes then relayed the digits to him as he wrote them down. "Sara, it's okay slow down. Now tell me what is on your mind."

"I want to see you." She stated quickly.

"When and where my dear?" He sighed huskily into the phone. _I ache for you._ Gil kept that thought to himself.

"Can I come to your place?"

"Of course, let me give you the address…" He rattled off his house number and street name then turned the conversation around. "When do you want to come over?"

"Tomorrow night, I'm off work and I don't have any classes."

"Until tomorrow, honey. Sweet dreams."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

She paced in front of her desk in the living room until she thought she'd worn the carpet out with her shoes. He hadn't been by to see her in a week. She thought everything went well after the movies; the intimate exchange of the apple from dinner still had her reeling from its intensity. The closeness, the heat, and the sensual tension. Fiddling with her cordless phone she picked up the card that he gave her the night that he'd saved her and started to dial before she lost her nerve.

His voice brought the hunger she'd been feeling back to the forefront and she started shaking as she settled herself into the couch before she fell over from the sheer intensity of it. He'd been working, he had articles due. Sara blurted that she wanted to see him, he'd agreed. The conversation ended with his address and a promise for tomorrow night. Her body was on fire with the prospect of seeing him once again. Those beautiful blue eyes and that sensual presence of pure masculinity. Catherine had been right when they'd talked earlier that day, she had it bad. Extremely bad.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"Onion rings and barbecue ribs to table four!"

The shout came from the back as she walked towards the back to pick up the food and bring it to the table in question. Two hours until her shift was over and she could finally go home and kick back in the bath and calm her aching muscles. At least she had all of her facilities working again so she was happy.

As she came closer to table four her gaze came across Gil and he matched her gaze and gave her a slow smile. "I was hoping to catch you at work."

"Large rings and a large order of ribs." She smiled placing the plate in front of him. "Enjoy."

"Thank you, I'm sure I will." He then held a ring out to her. "You're hungry."

She looked at him startled wondering how he knew and then looked at the offering that was dangling within her reach between his outstretched fingers. "Yeah, but break isn't for another fifteen minutes."

He kept the ring in place and gave her a flash of his pearly whites once again. "Eat for me."

Leaning down she appeased him and took the ring between her lips and chewed softly. As she swallowed and opened her eyes there was another before her lips again. Sighing she repeated the process, keeping her eyes open this time and then as he reached for another, she held her hand up. "I appreciate it, but Gil I've really got work to do and I need to finish up. I promise when I get done I'll come right here and eat with you."

She heard him purr and then he smiled with one last ring held out to her. "I'll be right here waiting for you."

Plucking the ring from his grasp she popped it in her mouth and smiled. "Later."

XXXXxxxxxxxx

He watched her as she walked away from him, the steady grace in which she cleaned the tables, plucking the dishes up and putting them in the bucket, how she then proceeded to refill drinks, give extra napkins, take orders and dish them out as soon as they were done in the kitchen. He couldn't fight what he felt and he wasn't going to try anymore.

As he made steady work of his ribs, he continued to keep track of her throughout the restaurant. Especially when she stopped at a table and was talking to a few people, tuning his ears he listened intently.

"I saw you flirting with him, Sara. He was feeding you, now that's a man."

"Catherine, I really don't have time for this. What are you going to have before I go on break." He turned and watched as she held the pad and pen tilting her body towards the strawberry blonde she referred to as Catherine.

"I'll have the special with a large Coke." She smiled. "Please tell me you're going to go eat with him."

"Cath…"

"He's a hunk."

"Catherine! You're married to Warrick!"

"I know, but I'm not dead. Still, I wouldn't take away your man. I'm a good girl."

"Right…" She chuckled. "I'll have Nicky bring your order out, I'm going on break."

"Go get'em."

He smirked and then turned back to his food, finishing off the last of the ribs before he heard the chair move in front of him and the smell of a wonderful rice pilaf and vegetable melody waft from the plate she had sat down in front of her. On cue he had another onion ring in the space between them and she accepted his offering by taking the food plus interest as her mouth closed all the way around his fingers, taking the remainder of the barbecue sauce with it. As she let his fingers go with a resounding pop and a smirk, she picked up a spoon and started working on her meal.

Gil watched as she picked up a spoonful and held it out to him; he smiled and slowly closed his mouth around the spoon and slid back. He was glad he was sitting so that she couldn't see the rampant erection that was pressing against his slacks begging to be let out. His fangs started aching once again as he looked for something to sink them into and he was lucky, there was one rib left.

Picking it up instead of cutting it like he was doing, he pulled it up and closed his mouth on it, his fangs sinking into the slightly rare meat and trying to quiet his moan of relief. It was getting harder and harder for him to hide them and here lately it was getting harder and harder for him to control them. It seemed like releasing them from their housings was the only way to get some of the pain to ebb. The rhythmic pounding usually got even more so around her.

Ripping the meat from the bone with more grace than he thought he could handle, he kept the meat in front of his face hiding his elongated incisors from her gaze.

"So, tell me a little more about yourself, you seem to know my life story."

"Well…" She swallowed and grabbed her soda, taking a sip. "It's not all that interesting. In a nut shell, I was born into a family that didn't want me, I was abandoned at six, I was in and out of a few foster homes, at fourteen I ran away and then a few months later I was found by Jim Brass and adopted. He gave me a good home, and now here I am."

"Do you know what happened to your parents?"

"Well, my dad was a drug addict and he also abused my mother. He died of an overdose, my mom, after abandoning me; she was committed to a mental institution and has been there ever since." She rushed through and then stared at her rice like it was the most interesting thing in the room.

Feeling his chest constrict, he wiped his hands carefully and took the opportunity to tilt his head back and retract his fangs all while keeping an eye on her. Picking up his spoon, he shoveled a little of the rice on it and held it out in front of her in her line of site.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" He raised an eyebrow and her question, the spoon still between them.

After she took what he offered and he started to get more from the plate, she placed her hand on his and halted his movements. "Why do you feed me?"

"It's an old habit." He bowed his head. "It is something that I was taught long ago. You're the first one I've been able to attend to in a very long time. Does it bother you?"

"No, I was just curious. I mean, you are more worried about me than your own stomach."

"It's what's proper. I was taught very young that the females are to eat first then the males. It's respect, which very few people seem to show these days." He looked down at their combined limbs and let the spoon clatter softly to her plate as he took her hand in his. "Forgive me, but I cannot find words to express what you bring out in me."

"If it's anything like what I feel then I think I can relate." She smirked rubbing her thumb along his knuckles. "Are we still on for tomorrow night?"

"Yes, I'm going to cook for you." He rubbed his thumb under her wrist, feeling her pulse beat wildly. "What would you like?"

"You don't have to."

"Let me…" He sighed and let his hand drop from hers cleaning his mess up and setting his dishes to the side. Then he clasped his hand in hers once more. "I do not get to do anything for anyone, I'm alone, and I've met a beautiful female that I wish to cherish."

He watched her eyes as they showed an emotion that he couldn't quite read then her gaze returned to their intertwined hands. After a few moments he shifted his position, moving to sit directly beside her and lifted her chin to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked and a jolt of electricity went down his spine as he couldn't stop himself.

"I've never met someone like you, someone who makes me feel more alive than I've ever felt. Will you let me do the same for you?" His voice was hushed, husky and low as he continued to inch closer, his eyes on her lips, his tongue peeking out to wet them. "Will you let me make you feel as I do?"

"Gil…"

He closed the distance between their lips pressing gently, moving ever so slowly. Taking his time he traced them with his tongue and captured the bottom one softly between his teeth, being mindful of his fangs as he suckled gently. He felt her warm breath against his lips as he released her lip and dove back home for a better taste as her lips opened against his. Groaning softly he eased into her, reaching an arm behind her and pulling her closer, feeling the heat of her body against his as he dipped his tongue into her mouth. She tasted sweet and salty at the same time plus the flavor of the root beer she had been drinking followed by the combined spices of the rice she'd been eating. It was heaven as he explored her silky depths, tracing his tongue along her molars and then working his way up as he felt her tongue touch his and it set him afire with new motivation as he twirled his tongue around hers and started drawing it into his mouth. Giving it a few slow drawls and a couple sweeps at the tip he dived back into her mouth before she could explore too quickly and reach his fangs. Drawing back slowly, he breathed heavily and stared into her eyes as he watched her catch her breath.

It was dangerous now that he knew one of her tastes, dangerous and thrilling all at once.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

One minute they were talking about food and the next he was right in front of her, right beside her with those glowing eyes licking his lips as pink as rose petals, and tempting her with that scent. Then his lips were on hers and she felt like she was floating. His lips caressed hers in such a way that she melted into his touch. Her body became boneless as he pulled her closer to him. His lips captured her lower one as he nibbled it with his teeth and laved it with his tongue, suckling gently. As he released it, she wanted to groan in protest as her heart rate sky rocketed, her breathing became shallow, and that musky scent surrounded her.

His lips came back down upon hers and she opened automatically, feeling his arm come up behind her and pull her even closer. He was hot and hard, strength and power combined with an animalistic grace but so very gentle. His tongue swept inside her mouth and she thought she'd pass out from the soft strokes all around her mouth and his taste made her hungry for more. She knew she should've been repulsed by the thought of him eating semi-raw meat before he kissed her, before he flooded her mouth with his, but she couldn't bring herself to as he drew his tongue around hers with slow sensual sweeps and brought it into his mouth to suckle and stroke. She wanted a better taste so badly that she started to explore and got what she wanted.

He tasted sweet and heady, spicy and tangy, sinfully delicious and it made her ache combined with the barbecue sauce and some of the pilaf as well. The heady combination made her dizzy as she leaned into his warmth trying to explore his mouth with the same intensity that he did hers, as soon as she got close enough he started back on hers in earnest before separating them slowly.

His eyes were completely luminescent, bright as stars, and shockingly beautiful as she watched him gasp for breath and then place his forehead upon hers. His gaze locked with hers.

"Tomorrow night, dress comfortably." He said in a rough voice, deep and slow with an added urgency. "Bring nothing but yourself, I will take care of the rest."

All she could think to do was nod as he kissed her once more and collected his coat, his ticket, and started walking towards the front desk. "Seven o'clock."

Again she nodded as she started to clean up the table and then started to work her way back to the other tables that needed to be bussed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	10. Nine

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Nine

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

He let the music wash over him as he sat there with his steak and an apple on the coffee table in front of him. His TV was tuned to a documentary on mute and his body was aching in the worst way. He let his fangs free from their housings only because he was alone and they ached so bad from the hunger he was feeling. God he'd tasted her, reviled in it, hungered for more. Hungered for her breath on his face, against his neck, her tongue gliding across his flesh, her fingers twining in his hair. Gil wanted it all, needed it like he needed air. It was a fact that he was playing a very dangerous game. In that single moment of weakness he found strength that she was feeling every bit that he was. Her respiration was shallow, her heart thudded in her chest, her flesh heated like his, and her body gave off that sweet and tangy scent of arousal that, even now, made him growl low in his throat and arch his hips in that slow circle.

Finishing off his meal, he set his plate down and grasped the apple, sinking his fangs in first and moaning at the relief, for that brief moment. He then bit a chunk and chewed, savoring the taste. He remembered everything about the hunger that John had described in illicit detail and it wasn't even close to what he felt. Gil felt so much more pleasure and pain combined heated desire that raged his core until he thought he'd combust. He just hoped that tonight would go as planned and that he could control himself.

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara continued to finish off her daily routine of paying bills, grocery shopping, and finally cleaning her apartment that was well overdue for a good cleaning. Sighing, she grabbed her purse and made a beeline for the door so she could get to work on her long overdue shopping.

On her way there, her mind was filled with the dreams she'd had the night before, especially turning that kiss in the restaurant into a whole lot more. It had been so long since she'd been with anyone and it had never felt as intense as what she was feeling now.

Sure all of those old romance books that she had on a shelve collecting dust described intense feelings, but nothing compared to or described the desire she felt while in Gil's presence. He called to her in a way she had never known before. A place inside her that was more primal and animalistic than anything. When she thought of the cords of muscle on his shoulder all she could think about was digging her teeth into them as she came and as she pulled pack looking into those bright eyes of his as he growled at her.

Lost in her thoughts she didn't realize that the traffic light had turned green until there were several horn honks coming from behind her. Groaning in frustration she clicked on her signal and headed for the parking lot to continue her long and drawn out day.

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shuffling around he dusted and straightened, picking up his messes and trying to clean up a few stains from his indiscretions. Remembering the one by the couch he went crimson as he remembered the vision he'd conjured for that particular fantasy not more than a few hours ago. He remembered how his head shot back against the cushions and how instead of catching before he had released over his coffee table and on the floor in front of the couch. All he could remember after was how he'd sopped up most of it with his shirt and staggered to the bathroom. It was literally getting harder and harder to control.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

As she finished putting the bags on her table her phone started to ring as she juggled around trying to find where she last put it. Finally coming across it on her desk she picked it up and cleared her throat before answering.

"This is Sara, talk to me."

"Hi sweetheart, you still coming?" Was the husky baritone that answered her greeting.

"Gil? Of course I am. What's on the menu?"

He tisked through the phone at her with a low chuckle. "That is a surprise, my dear. A true gentleman never gives out his secrets. You'll just have to wait for tonight."

"That's not fair…" She pouted for good measure even though he couldn't see.

"I can hear you pout and you have no idea what that does to me." He sighed and laughed. "I'll see you tonight, don't be late."

"I won't. Bye…"

"Until then."

Hearing the click from his line she hung up and went back to tending to her groceries. Fixing herself a sandwich, she turned towards the bathroom. Taking a bite of her sandwich she looked at the bath oils she had and selected the vanilla before starting the tub and regulating the temperature. Popping the plug in the drain she then turned to the bottle sitting on the counter and adding the desired amount until the vanilla coated the space in the bathroom.

Letting the tub fill, she finished off her sandwich and trotted towards the bedroom and shed her clothes, grabbing her robe then trotting back to the bathroom to check the water level. Finding it acceptable, she placed her robe on the hook next to the tub and slid into the warm depths, letting the hot water ease the tension in her body.

**He knelt before her, completely and utterly bare, cloth in hand as he leaned towards the tub. He dipped the cloth and started to run it down her neck towards her chest circling each breast in turn and dipping lower. She watched him through low lids, watching as he continued his decent, skipping over her heat and running down her legs. "Every inch of you…wonderful." **

**"Gil…" Her voice was soft, husky, almost unrecognizable to her ears as she lifted her gaze to his bright eyes, a question in her voice that she didn't know what she was asking.**

**He dipped his head and brought his lips to hers his tongue dipping in automatically, the slick, wet, textured muscle dancing around her own setting fire upon her skin with delightful intensity. She groaned and nipped at his lips as he pulled back and felt his hand drag up her leg slowly, gently. His fingers dancing upon her flesh…**

Startled by a ringing in the background she groaned and let her head fall back against the towel that was keeping her head padded against the wall of the tub. Grumbling to herself she eased out of her bath, grabbed her robe and started making her way to the living room to find her phone and answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sara!" Came Catherine's cheerful voice over the receiver. "We're going to the mall, you want to join us?"

Turning towards the clock she read the display 5:45 p.m. "I'd like to but I've got somewhere else to be tonight."

"Gil's?"

"Cath! I've really gotta go."

"I want details!"

"Goodbye Catherine." She laughed.

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone she turned towards her bedroom and picked out a pair of comfortable dress pants and a suitable cream colored shirt. Tossing the robe aside on her bed, she started to dress and fix her hair. Padding her way back towards the bathroom, she drained the bath, put on some very light makeup, and then made her way to the living room for her open toe sandals. _Well he did say comfortable._

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He had just finished preparing the fish when there was a knock at the door. Looking up at the clock it read 6:50 p.m. ten minutes early. He smiled as he wiped his hand on the towel and threw it back over his shoulder making his way towards the door eagerly awaiting her arrival. Smiling, he checked the peephole and the sight that greeted him caused his heart to stop for a few minutes before it resumed its relentless staccato. Tipping his head back, he willed his fangs to retract as he then opened the door to take her in.

"Hey!" She stepped forward and smiled as he stepped back to allow her entry.

"Hello my dear. You look absolutely, for lack of a better term, edible."

Her laughter was like music to his ears. "So do you." Smiling she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. "So what's on the menu?"

"Lightly seared flounder with a lush creamy citrus sauce topped with basil and thyme, a side of crispy fried vegetables, and for dessert an apple crisp." He listed off as he started looking around for the pan he'd use to cook the fish and vegetables.

"Sounds wonderful, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, there are some fresh veggies in the fridge; can you lightly chop them for me please?" He asked looking for the oil in his cupboard along with the fresh spices and other essentials.

"Sure."

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

The neighborhood was peaceful enough as she pulled up into his driveway and shut off her engine. She was increasingly nervous as she tried to settle her body before climbing out and making her way to the front door. She didn't know what to expect as she knocked, but as the door opened she couldn't be more surprised.

He stood before her in a light green silk shirt, rolled up sleeves and a towel tossed over his left shoulder. His hair was slightly mussed but just enough to look extremely sexy, the shirt tapered off towards a set of black dress pants, loosely fitting his muscled form trailing down to bare feet as he stepped back to allow her entrance. Forget edible, he was a feast and she wanted to devour him.

After their brief interlude about dinner selections and chopping vegetables, he turned on the stereo to some light piano music and started working on cleaning his cookware while she started on her task. For the moment the only sounds in the room were the music and the rhythmic chopping sounds as she cut the mentioned vegetables into bite size pieces and slid them to the side.

Every now and then her attention would stray towards him and she'd lose just a little bit of her focus, that's when she felt a pain in the side of her hand.

"Ouch, shit…" She looked down at the side of her index finger to see a crimson trail making its way down towards the spread between said finer and her thumb. Dropping the knife she started to put her finger to her mouth on instinct and then she felt a hand grip hers.

"Lemme see." Came the husky baritone as she watched him inspect the cut. "Ouch…that's a nasty one."

Completely awestruck, she watched as he drew her finger in his mouth and felt a pleasurable pulling sensation as he suckled intently, watching as his eyes lit with something she'd never seen before. Her body shook as she felt the sweep of his tongue over the cut and the pain quickly went away. As he let her finger loose from his mouth, she felt his tongue drag across that spot until he released it completely. Pulling the towel off his shoulder, he wiped her finger clean and then smiled slightly.

"There, all better."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He knew he shouldn't, he knew it was dangerous, knew it was against every law ever set down by the council. Though in this moment, this single moment, he forgot everything that was ever called forbidden, everything he was told he couldn't have, as he watched the blood pool around the slice and start to trail down. Gil knew it was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself.

Drawing her hand forward, he placed her finger in his mouth and suckled gently. As soon as her taste hit his tongue he had to fight the pop of his fangs as he took a few small pulls from the wound. Her taste was like nothing he'd ever known, nothing he'd ever dreamed of. Fire in his mouth and then down in his stomach burning him alive with its intensity. She was a strong mix like chardonnay easily addictive and a little tart on the way down. Stopping before his hunger got the better of him, he swept his tongue over the wound a few times, drawing out the contact to keep her flavor on his tongue, he drew the digit out making sure that the cut had sealed as he wiped it off gently.

He watched as she looked at her finger, watched her expression change several times before settling on one that brought out her immense confusion.

"How? It's not possible." Her eyes connected with his. "What?"

"It's fine, you're not bleeding anymore."

"But it's not possible, what is going on!"

"Sara, sweetheart."

"Don't." She backed away from him. "What are you?"

"Sara…"

"No, glowing eyes, sealing cuts. What other secrets have you got? What are you?"

He slumped his shoulders and turned towards the counter on the opposite side of the stove. "I am something that people fear, and yet do not understand."

"That tells me nothing." He turned his face towards her and heard her gasp. "Your eyes…"

"I've tried to fight myself, but I cannot stop it. As you can tell I'm not human, but something a little more." He let his fangs elongate before her eyes and kept his gaze level with hers. "I am a vampire, believe it or not, an evolutionary gift or curse. My name is Vincent Lamont Rhodock III; I was born in London in 1743 to an aristocratic society. I am one of the few pure blooded of my species. I am also a social outcast. On my one hundredth birthday I was cast out of the society with enough money to live on for a few decades. I moved to America and started investing that money in very small matters. For the past hundred and fifty years I've been alone with only the few odd jobs and research to keep me company. I finally made a residence here a little over fifty years ago and had my final name change. I never want to be referred to as Vincent that name and identity died out with the society."

As he finished his speech he watched her expression change from disbelieving, to hurt, to distant, then to surprised and awed. Though, she still kept her distance on the other side of the room. Then he saw her do the one thing that most humans did, she clamped her hand over her throat. "So what do you want with me?"

"To love you." He stated and bowed his head.

"What? I don't want to be some undead-…"

"That Hollywood bullshit is not true. We are more alive than you think for and we do not kill humans. We don't even feed off of them! It's forbidden." He huffed. "The only things that are true are that sunlight is extremely dangerous for us and we can be brought down by serious wounds. Most of us are religious and attend the night church masses, and on rare occasion a pure blood will take on a female that is human and create a half breed. We are not soulless monsters with no conscious, we're alive just like you…we feel just like you do."

She shook her head and he watched as the curls shifted from side to side. "But what was will the swipes on my finger if it's forbidden? How do I know that you won't…"

"It is not possible to turn someone into us. We're just another species, that's all we are and there are so very few of us left. I am no longer a part of the society and I can choose to be with whomever I wish to. I wish to share my life with you." He walked towards her, stunned to see that she was standing still. Gil moved to pick up her hand and placed it in the center of his chest. "Feel my heart beat; hear the sound of my breath. You make me feel so much more, Sara. So much more than I am."

"Gil…"

"I've ached for you, ever since we first ran into each other." He leaned his head forward and pushed out a shaky breath while winding his fingers in her hair behind her head. "Your eyes, your face, your voice, your taste; everything that is you."

And then his lips met hers…


	11. Ten

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ten

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At first she was stunned, then she was scared, then she was hurt, then she was confused, then finally she was aroused. Aroused at the prospect of what he was. Finally calming down from the intensity of everything he'd revealed to her, literally baring his soul; she recalled the intense feeling of him drawing those few small pulls of blood from her finger and sealing the wound closed. All at once his words blurred as he got closer and closer to her and she wondered with intense anticipation about how it would feel if he really drank from her.

Then his lips met hers and she lost all rational thought as she felt the tips of his fangs with her tongue. The long smooth ivory incisors making her more aroused then she thought she ever could be, it was crazy but she wanted it. She heard him groan and then growl low in his throat, his hand tangling into her hair as he pulled her a little more towards him.

"You're like heaven and sin at the same time." She watched as he tilted his head back and his fangs shrank back into their housings. "Are you okay?"

Was she okay? She was a little freaked, aroused, confused, and a thousand other different emotions wrapped in a tight little package…and all she could think about was pulling him back and kissing him again. "Yeah…"

"So, dinner?"

"Of course…" She laughed and walked with him back to the cutting board.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

He didn't think that she'd accept him, didn't think that she would even touch his fangs, let alone kiss him back. But as her tongue wrapped around one of them and stroked it, he couldn't hold back the loud groan or the rumbling growl that escaped his throat as he pulled her gently to him once again. The heat from her body and the smell of her arousal caused him to heat from the inside out. His tongue stroked hers as he released her mouth and tilted his head back willing his fangs to retract. Even though she was a willing participant, he knew she needed time to adjust, time to think it through, time to take it all in. Gil didn't want to rush her, wanted to give her all the time in the world. For once, his fangs didn't ache so terribly and his stomach was quiet. For once.,

After a few moments they went back to preparing dinner, he watched her out of the corner of his eye preparing the rest of the vegetables and adding some spices to the pan of oil. Settling them on the bottom he grabbed the fish that he'd prepared earlier, from the fridge, and placed them in the space he'd left to sear on one side for a couple of minutes, sprinkling the freshly cut herbs right over top.

"I'll need a few lemons and an orange." He said softly and watched as she, yet again, went to work. Her long elegant fingers clasping the fruit fully, yet gently, and slicing it in half.

"What else?"

"I think we'll forget the sauce tonight and just juice a couple of them over the fish after it's done." Smiling, he flipped the fish and tossed the vegetables around gently. "I like watching you."

Her face turned towards his and he was greeted with that broad smile. "And I like watching you."

"I'm sorry if I…" Her fingers pressed against his lips, cutting off his words.

"Please, don't. I'll admit I was shocked at first and a little confused. Just let me get used to the idea." She kissed him gently. "That's all I ask, I'm not scared as much as I am curious. I guess it's the scientist in me."

Gil nodded and turned back to the pan in front of him. "I think dinner is ready."

"Wonderful." Sara laughed as she brought the plate over so he could spoon out dinner on top of it. They each took an orange and a lemon and squeezed them overtop of the entre and he then placed some fresh basil right on top. "You're an amazing cook."

"Well when you live on your own, you need to learn to take care of yourself. Besides, I was taught how to cook at a very young age."

"Really, part of the society?"

"No, my mother." He smiled. "She was an amazing female, held her own. After my father passed it was just me and her. She taught me to cook. She said all males of value take care of themselves and their mate." Sighing he pulled out her chair and guided her into it, scooting it up as she got comfortable. "The society was more strict about it. After I left, I learned about each and every little thing. I literally watched the world change before my eyes."

"So you've seen everything from then till now."

"In different parts of the world, yes. I've been to so many places, and within the past fifty years I decided to call here my home. And my name, I don't know where I came up with it, but I like it." He chuckled as he served her and then sat down next to her. "The one thing that I couldn't understand is where my customs and the customs that were taught to most males of either species went to."

"I don't know, but I really do wish they would've kept up with them." Smiling she looked down at her plate and he watched as she lifted her head and quirked a brow. "Are you going to feed me now like always?"

"Always. It is why my plate is still empty."

"How about, we feed each other?"

"If that is your wish, then I'll be happy to grant it."

XXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dinner was a quiet affair, mostly hushed conversation and the backwards and forth passing of food between the two. After they finished, they cleaned up the dining room and the kitchen in perfect harmony with one another. After the last few dishes their hands brushed against each other on a plate and their eyes locked. His eyes brightened and shifted the color vibrant and swirling and she got lost in it. It almost looked like they were pulsing to his heartbeat. After rinsing it and setting it in the rack she watched as he walked towards the oven to pull out the dessert he'd prepared.

He changed the music on the stereo to something softer as he started to cut portions of the crisp and setting them on a single plate with two forks.

"Whipped cream?"

"Please…"

She watched as he walked towards the fridge and pull out a container and then he removed the lid and spooned out some of the white fluffy mixture onto the dessert.

"Nothing but the best for you, my dear. Nothing else would do." He leaned in and kissed her before placing a dollop of the cream on his fingertip, holding it out to her.

Locking eyes with him she clasped his wrist with her hand and brought the topping towards her and sucked his finger into her mouth, swirling her tongue around and then she groaned at the taste. That smoky scent that he seemed to carry condensed and combined with the topping and heated her from the inside out, a wave of arousal crashed through her and answered him with wetness between her thighs. His groan answered hers as he withdrew and she watched as his fangs popped suddenly. Jumping just a little.

"Sorry…" He smoothed her hair back behind her ear. "It'll take some getting used to."

Nodding she inspected the floor. "When should I expect them?"

He placed his finger under her chin, lifting her head gently to meet his gaze. "When I'm aroused or upset."

"So I take it you're aroused?" Smiling brightly she traced one of them with her fingertip, his groan vibrating through the room. She pulled her hand back suddenly only for him to clasp it and bring it back.

"They ache, but when you touch them they don't anymore."

"When did you last, feed?"

"Since I healed your cut? Little over a hundred years ago."

Her eyes popped wide as she clasped her chest. "You can go that long?"

"Not really supposed to, but there was no one I wanted to be with so I had no choice." He shook his head. "So I doubled up on my food intake and my diet usually consists of raw meat."

"When are you supposed to?"

"Every two to three months depending on stress and activity level. As due to injuries and sun exposure every few weeks to a couple days at a time in small doses."

"Do you want to now?"

His fangs throbbed at the prospect and his stomach clenched as he leaned into the counter. She watched as his eyes flashed white then went back to that glowing silver blue. "I'd love nothing more than to be at your vein. But you are not ready for me like that." His fingertips traced her neck and massaged her jugular. "I need so much more than just to feed from you, I hunger for you in more ways than one."

He watched as her lips parted and he stuck his thumb between the cherry colored petals. "Come, desert is getting cold."

Without thinking twice about it she followed him upstairs to his sitting room and sat next to him on the couch, watching as he lit a few candles around them and dimmed the lights. She held her questions as he lifted a forkful to her mouth and she took the offering without hesitation. He leaned forward and kissed her sharing the dessert and his taste intermingling with hers and the combined flavors made him throb.

They continued until the dessert was completely devoured and then they were sharing intense kisses in an ever increasing heated room.

"I can't seem to get enough of you…" He whispered between kisses; dipping his tongue in for good measure.

She twined her fingers in his hair and brought him closer, groaning in his mouth as her tongue traced his fangs and then went further in, trailing across his molars and the sides of his mouth. She felt his groan before she heard it as he started trailing kisses down her neck, dragging his fangs up across her skin sending a trail of gooseflesh in its wake. Her hand curled on the nape of his neck, trying to pull him closer but he easily resisted. The smoky fragrance coated the air around them as he settled his weight on top of her gently, moving his lips back to hers as he stretched her out on the plush surface of his couch.

"I've been meaning to ask you something…"

"What honey?" He asked between kisses.

"What brand of cologne do you wear?"

"It's not cologne, it's me…" He sighed into her neck. "It's my marking scent. It's part of pure blood courtship. When a male finds a female he wishes to, as your species calls it, date, he marks her so that other males know she's taken. If they find they do not wish to carry out a relationship, the scent fades within a few days."

"I see, I love it…"

"I'm glad, because I want to ask you to bear my scent…be mine…" He groaned as her nails dug into his back, leaving fires along the way as he slowly trailed his fangs up her neck once again.

"I want to, so much."

He started nuzzling her in earnest then, pleasuring her in ways she never thought possible with clothes on. Then he spread her legs to lie between them. She cradled him easily, his muscled frame stretching her comfortably as she locked her legs behind his back feeling his arousal as it pressed into her. His lips met hers in earnest, his fangs nipping gently and then their tongues tangled together as he rocked into her, the smoky musk coating them both till it was all she smelt and tasted as she nipped at his neck and drew the skin into her mouth.

She watched as he bared his fangs and hissed, the sound causing her to shake and then his eyes met hers, piercing diamonds in the lightly lit room, his frame raised above her, the epitome of male power as he surged forward, causing her to orgasm quickly and shout his name.

He felt her tense underneath him and it caused him to shudder, he had marked her…she was his.


	12. Eleven

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Eleven

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So how did your date go the other night?"

"It was great, we had dinner and dessert. Danced a little."

"Sounds nice." Catherine responded as they sat at the bar at Nick's place.

"Yeah it does, Sara. So when is he dropping back by? And when are you going to let him meet Jim?"

"I don't know, yet. I want to see how this works out before I make any promises to anyone." She sighed, finishing off her veggie burger. "Especially Jim. He's never met any of my previous boyfriends, and they didn't even make it past the initiation stage."

"Would you say that Gil has?" Warrick asked as he came towards the bar, catching up with the conversation.

"Yeah, but we've got a long ways to go."

"I hear ya."

"So, how's Lindsey doing?"

"She's doing great! There is going to be a slumber party later this week to honor her straight A's."

"Very cool." She sighed. "Well I need to get to work."

"Party pooper." She stuck her tongue out.

"You know better than to do that in my presence." Came a husky chuckle from behind her.

"Shit, Gil…you scared me half to death!" She laughed and tapped his shoulder with her hand for good measure as he encircled her from behind.

"And hello to you too, my dear." He nuzzled her neck and kissed it.

There was a throat clearing and Sara finally managed to catch her bearings. "Sorry. Gil this is Catherine and Warrick." She pointed respectively.

"Good evening. Nice to meet you both. Gilbert Grissom." He extended his hand receiving a shake in turn from both of them.

"So you're Sara's knight in shining armor?"

"And she is my fair maiden in distress." Sara elbowed him in the gut and he caught her arm, bringing her fingertips to his mouth to kiss. "Naughty, naughty."

"Please have a seat and join us, I'm sure Nick won't mind Sara staying on break for a little while longer."

"I don't mean to impose."

"No imposition at all, Gil." Nick said from beside them with perfect timing.

"Perfect timing, Stokes." She smirked as she sat directly on Gil's lap.

"You're not playing fair sister dear."

"Like you need me as one when you have so many that are related to you." Scoffing she scooted back towards Gil's chest as he held her closer, nuzzling her neck.

"You do know that I've got to remark you tonight." He whispered only so she could here. "And we're both going to enjoy that so much."

She shivered as his breath tickled the back of her neck and his words lit a fire inside her that she couldn't ignore. "Definitely."

"So Gil, what do you do?" Catherine asked out of the blue.

"I'm a freelance worker and a private investor. Stocks, bonds, buy, sell, trade. I mainly write articles for Entomology text books or Forensic journals." He answered without hesitation.

"College?"

"I have a few PHD's yes." She watched his smirk from the corner of her eye as he tightened his hold on her.

"Smart, he's a keeper."

"Catherine!" Sara and Warrick shouted at the same time.

"What?" She just shrugged.

"Hey Sara, why don't you take the rest of the night off? You deserve it, you work your ass off you know." Nick smiled as he placed plates in front of the other two occupants.

"I don't know Nick, I've got the phone bill coming up this month."

"I'll take care of it Sara." Gil popped in. "Let's get out of here."

"What is this a mutiny?" She groaned.

"Come on, you've been working a lot lately, go spend some time with your new boyfriend. It's nice to see you happy, girl."

"Oh alright, I'll see you on Monday." She pouted, getting up and waiting on Gil to follow her.

"Bye!"

"Don't behave!"

"Catherine!" Nick and Warrick shouted together.

Sara just laughed as she made her way out the door, Gil in tow.

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Stepping into his town house, they didn't even make it passed the threshold before he had her in his arms and pressed up against the door in a sensual assault on her senses. "I have a question for you…"

"What?" She gasped as he nipped her neck and then dived back for her lips.

"Do you want to be with me for a very long time?"

Thinking his question over, she tossed it around in her brain and then set it up on a shelf. Of course she did, the thought that he was a vampire didn't put her off in the slightest. Sure at first she would've been a little hesitant at the idea, but she'd known him for a little over a month now and he'd treated her so right. Better than any human man had ever treated her so her only answer could be. "Yes."

"I want to make love to you…worship you like the goddess you are. Tempt you and tease you like you do me." He whispered against her flesh. "I want to mark you from the inside out, Sara. Are you sure you're ready for me?"

She pulled his face up to meet hers. "You know I am."

And that's when her world started to spin. He kissed her hard and deep, purring softly as he caressed every place in her mouth and allowed her to do the same to him. Nipping and suckling, biting and caressing. Dragging his mouth down to her chin and nipping the flesh between his teeth his eyes bright like stars in the night sky. Candles flared to life around the room, bathing them in a soft orange glow. His hands drifted through her hair, releasing it from its pony tail as he then dragged his hands up her back and under her shirt.

She heard him groan at the contact and could only do so in response, his hands were smooth and strong, slightly callused and oh so hot. Her flesh tingled every where he touched. She needed him like she needed air, needed water, needed food. Surrounded by him, by his heat, by his taste as she trailed her tongue through the cleft in his chin dragging it down and then closing her mouth around his Adams apple. She watched as he tilted his head back and his fangs jutted from their housings with a resounding hiss he came back to and pulled her shirt off and slung it towards the couch. It missed and went over the balcony landing in a heap somewhere unknown.

He gasped and she watched as he licked his lips, trailing his tongue over one of his fangs briefly before resuming contact with her skin. Uncaring she started to work his shirt free of his pants and trailing her hands under it to feel his body. He was well defined, muscular, and achingly hot. So hot it almost burned her hands at the touch.

"You are so beautiful, so perfect. I feel so honored to look upon you. So honored to be with you." Sighing he reached behind her and unclasped her bra, dragging his fangs down her neck and towards her chest. Laving his tongue around a nipple until he had her bra in his hands, tossing it carelessly over his shoulder. He took her in a heated kiss, she shuddered as her nipples puckered and felt as he guided her towards the couch. Her body was on fire with the sensations he was bringing out in her, loving her as no other man had or ever would.

They kept walking until the backs of her legs hit the couch and he eased her down and then settled on his knees before her, dragging his shirt up and off tossing it to the side. Around his neck laid a gold cross that settled in the center of his chest.

"Beautiful." He kissed her sweetly and then went back to admiring her. She felt his gaze upon her and as he gently clasped a breast in each hand, squeezing gently, she arched into him and groaned.

"Yes…"

"Patience."

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

She was utterly bare before him from the waist up, the site of her sprawled out on his couch in the candle light made him dizzy as he took in her form. Her ivory skin a soft orange in the light, her nipples hard and soft pink trailing up her slender neck towards her face and the lips that he'd kissed were swollen and still a bit wet. She was a feast for his eyes alone and he growled as he captured her lips once more then trailing kisses down her neck to her chest taking one dusky bud into his mouth and suckling softly rolling it around with his tongue then gently pinching it with his teeth.

"Gil…" She sighed and tangled her hands in his hair, gripping it hard and keeping him right where he was, as if he had any intention of leaving her for an instant. He continued to tease one breast, then the other, laving the surface with his tongue, teasing until she moaned in protest, then taking the bud back into his mouth alternating between the two of them and giving them equal attention.

He was hard, to the point of pain and his fangs ached badly, he wanted to taste her again so bad but he knew she was still not ready for him. He'd wait eternity before he'd succumb to risking her safety for his pleasure. Rubbing against the bottom of the couch he groaned as she scraped her nails upon his scalp, he answered by dragging the tip of one of his fangs across one of her nipples, she clasped her legs around his back and bucked against his chest.

"You make me ache so terribly."

"And you tease too much." She let out a slow breath as he started to unbutton her pants. "Way too much."

"You've teased me from the moment we ran into each other." He admitted softly. "And I've loved every single minute of it. Such passion, such heat…"

"Gil…"

"Easy sweetheart." He dragged her pants down her long legs and threw them over his shoulder as well. Breathing in deeply, he caught her scent and it made his mouth water. "God you smell delicious, are you wet for me?"

"You know I am." The breathlessness in her tone sent a jolt straight through his groin.

"I'm going to enjoy this so much."

He then proceeded to hook his thumbs on either side of her panties and drag them down her legs, as he caught sight of her glistening curls in the candle light, he felt as if he'd stopped breathing for a moment before resuming his shallow intakes.

"Heaven…silky, beautiful, hot, heaven. Do you have any idea what you do to me Sara?" He rumbled on the edge of a purr as he leaned into her, pulling her legs over his shoulders.

Gil watched as she shook her head from side to side as he nuzzled her with his nose, catching her scent and inhaling deep. Spreading her with his thumbs he licked her from entrance to the underside of her clit, tickling the underside of the bud with the tip of his tongue before dipping back down to get a better taste of her. His heart thudded in his chest as he swallowed the heady mixture of strong honey and a tartness that tasted like peaches. Spreading her wider he started to work on her in earnest, twirling around with his tongue, dipping and retracting, gauging her reactions as he pleasured her. He then worked her with his fangs as he heard her shout her release, her legs tightening around him and her hands clasping the graying curls of his hair.

"God…Gil…"

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the few relationships she did have, not one of them really cared for oral sex so she didn't even realize how good it could be. Her body came alive with a thousand sensations as it felt like her nerve endings were going to pop out one by one and leave her a boneless numb mass. Then he started using his fangs in a move that she'd never even thought possible causing her eyes to roll back in her head as she came. It was primal, it was beautiful, it was hot and heavy. She watched him through lidded eyes as he eased up from between her legs and licked his fangs clean before taking his bottom lip between his teeth and suckling gently followed by a long, slow, and very deliberate lick to his top one. She thought she'd come again just from the sight.

Sara watched as he stood up slowly and then leaned down to pick her up in his arms. She locked her arms behind his neck with no complaint; she didn't think she could walk if she tried. Then a thought struck her…

"Do you have any birth control? I haven't been able to get my prescription changed."

She watched as he smiled slightly. "It is unnecessary my dear, you are not fertile now."

Her eyes felt like they'd pop out of her head. He just chuckled and tapped his nose. "I can smell it. You were fertile last week just before your period. It drove me completely insane. I was so hard I could've played baseball."

At that she threw her head back and laughed. "Home run?"

"Straight up the center and out of the park." He winked as he settled her on his bed, she bounced lightly watching as he shed his pants slowly, adding a little wiggle to his hips. Her eyes fixated to the tent that was being pitched in his boxers and swallowed hard in anticipation. She wanted to claw them off and roll around taking turns being on top. Looking directly in his eyes she cocked her finger in a 'come hither' motion.

"Come here…" He stayed rooted to the spot. "What's wrong?"

"I need to warn you that I might bite." He sighed. "I won't be able to help it, it's an impulse. I don't want you to be frightened by it…but I've hungered for you for so long it might not be gentle."

His honesty struck a chord in her and she smiled gently. "I'm looking forward to it."

She heard him suck in a breath. "Sara…"

"Come here, please… Give us what we both crave."


	13. Twelve

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Twelve

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

She'd never seen him move so fast as he was right beside her in a heart beat, the bedside lamp set to dim as he pulled her gently to him. He was hard and thick against her thigh as he pressed against her, his mouth automatically settling on hers as he caressed her with his hands. "I love you…"

"I love you too…Sweet Sara." He moaned into her mouth.

Sighing she felt the muscles on his chest, never once breaking contact with his lips as she made a mental map of his sensitive areas. Behind his neck, his spine, his nipples, the insides of his thighs. When she finally was able to slip her hand past the waist band of his boxers, she gasped as he hissed his head arching back as he clasped his hand over her wrist and pulled her away.

"Gil…" She pouted softly.

"Sara, if you do that I will bite. God you feel so good wrapped around me like that, squeezing me. But I can't hold back for much longer."

"But I want to…"

"I know, I want you to as well, but I only have so much control at this point in time." He sighed and stretched out on his back, removing his boxers and groaning with relief.

Her eyes automatically connected with his groin. He was hard lying against his belly, stretching from groin to just above his navel, cherry red head and long smooth shaft perfectly formed on unflawed hairless skin, thick and smooth with a drop of pre-cum oozing from the tip. The twin weights that settled below were proof of his virility. At that point, she didn't care if he bit her, she wanted to feel him. Her hand eased down and gripped him once more and again she felt him clasp her wrist.

"Sara…please." He begged trying to pry her away as his head arched back and his hips swiveled against her grip.

"Let me, show me."

"God…Oh Yes…" He gasped as she started to stroke. He was hot as flame, smooth as velvet, and so very thick that she couldn't clasp her whole hand around him. She watched as he arched and pumped in her grip, his hand coming down to clasp over hers as he guided her with grip and speed. "Oh Sara!"

She watched as he arched again, his erection kicking in both their grips as he started to pant and rise up on a hiss as his head kicked back. He looked at her though lidded eyes, his fangs bared, his teeth clinched. Then all the sudden he pulled her hand away and rolled her quickly underneath him in a move that would put most men to shame. She felt him as he nuzzled her neck, right over her jugular, feeling as he pinched her lightly with his fangs, knowing he wanted to do so much more. That smoky scent became the only thing that she smelt and knew as he spread her legs to lie between them. She raked her nails down his back as he arched into her, coating himself with her arousal and drawing a shaky breath.

"You might feel a slight pain." He sighed softly as he placed his fangs at her neck. "Just relax, take a deep breath, and hold it."

Doing as he requested, she took that solid breath as he took the plunge quickly. It stung at first, but as he started to take a few pulls, he entered her sex swiftly and pumped slowly along with his draws. She was dizzy with pleasure at the duel assault, feeling him inside her and smelling his scent triggered her more primal urges as he released her, licking over the twin punctures he made she drew him up to her mouth and kissed him hard. Tasting herself on his tongue and riding out as he started to pump into her deeper.

"Oh God, Gil…" She moaned and held on, dragging her nails down his back causing him to purr in approval as he sunk back down into the cradle of her arms. As his neck came into view she bit down, hard and sucked the skin into her mouth, she heard and felt his groan vibrate under her lips as he bucked more fiercely, rolling them over so she was on top.

"Ride me…" He growled through clenched teeth, clasping her thighs in his palms. "Ride me hard…"

Placing her palms flat against his chest, she started a short choppy rhythm, feeling as her breasts bounced against her chest with the force of her thrusts and feeling as he leaned up into her, taking a puckered bud into his mouth, as his hands moved to her hips to help guide her. Throwing her head back she moaned, putting a hand behind his neck as the bed started to creak below them.

"So wet, so hot, so tight…better than I dreamed of." He sighed, tonguing her bite marks and she felt the most sensational tingling between her legs as he did so.

"Do that again…keep doing that…" She pressed his face towards her neck.

The rhythm continued as he rolled them onto their sides, her legs twining around him as they pumped against each other swiftly, searching for release.

"Sara." He grunted and sunk his fangs into her neck once again. Her orgasm hit her quickly and she felt his follow in big heady spurts. And then again, as the waves tapered off she felt him continue to thrust, hard and steady, she felt the heat in her build again as he rolled her under him. She felt as he held her head in place as he pumped, keeping it so he wouldn't tare her neck out she was sure. He only took small pulls, but she felt everything that he was feeling. It was like a link to his body's pleasure. She felt the tingling in her groin double and the aches in her body become more pleasurable…then she felt his second orgasm and came again.

She felt then as he stiffened and collapsed against her. Sighing, she welcomed his weight, wrapping her arms and legs about him as she felt him take one more slow pull from her neck and back away. His fangs eased out slowly as he licked the wounds closed and nuzzled her softly.

"Are you alright?" Came his exhausted rumble right beside her ear.

"Oh yes…" She moaned and wiggled against him. Feeling him still hard inside her. "God…never has it been that good."

"Neither for me…" He leaned back and tucked her hair behind her ears.

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gil loved the site of her naked on his bed as he moved quickly to be beside her. Her beautiful toned and soft skin before his eyes as he started to pleasure her in ways that would make most people blush. As her hand clasped around his length he nearly jumped out of his skin as she started to stroke him. His head arching back painfully as a hiss escaped his mouth. Chastising her softly, he removed her hand, then removed his boxers hoping that some of the cool chill in the room would ease a bit of his passion. But she wouldn't be deterred as her hand clasped around him again and started pleasuring him once more. Soon her grip was too teasingly soft as he clasped her and in his and tightened it slightly, increasing the pace just a little.

Soon he couldn't take it anymore as she continued to stroke him, her grip tight under his. His heart thundered in his chest as he finally was able to pull her hand away from him and turn her over. Not wanting to hurt her, he gave her soft instructions as he primed her neck for his fangs entry. God, the feel of finally being with her, her soft skin upon his, her wet heat close to his groin. He couldn't get enough of the feel of her as he finally sent his fangs home and took his first slow draw.

She was fire in his mouth, fire in his gut, strength and power, beauty and grace, a mixture of spice and strong wine that he couldn't even pinpoint the flavor anymore it was that special. Drawing one more pull, he quickly entered her heat, holding back the groan as he thrust home over and over again. Tight and hot, so slick, he fit into her like a glove.

Pulling back quickly, he sealed the wounds and started to pump into her in earnest, keeping his thrusts long and hard, drawing out the pleasure as long as he could, feeling the pull and draw as he settled right back on top of her. He felt her pull his face towards his and kiss him deeply, trailing her tongue around his and around his fangs and her nails digging into his back. He purred in approval of what she was doing, those beautiful tingling fires on his back causing him to arch into her more forcefully. Then he felt the most pleasant sensation of her teeth digging into his neck. God, she sucked hard on his flesh and he couldn't control the wild staccato of his heart at the pleasurable pain that went down his spine and landed at his groin.

He heard her groan his name as he started to flip them over, her on top as he watched her from his lidded eyes…she was a goddess as she started to ride him in earnest, her short choppy thrusts teasing him like nothing else ever had, setting fire to his skin. The wet sounds of flesh on flesh in his ears as he leaned up to clasp a nipple in his mouth and suckled hard. Her hand coming up to clasp behind his neck and hold him there. He watched as her head arched back revealing the bite marks he'd put their earlier and he couldn't stop himself, releasing her with a pop he rose higher and started licking at the marks, tonguing them and nuzzling them. Hearing her groan was music to his ears as he applied a little pressure.

After a few more minutes, he rolled them onto their sides, picking up the pace just a little and then on a groan of her name he sunk his fangs right back into her neck, feeling her orgasm around him was enough to send him over the edge once and let her ride it out as he took very small pulls from her vein. The combination of her taste and feel sent him into a back spin as he continued to pump into her, rolling her back beneath him; holding her head steady as not to rip her throat with his teeth. His body was on fire as he started to come again feeling as she came with him. Stiffening above her he released her neck and drew back, licking the wounds closed with his tongue as he settled against her, feeling her accept his weight willingly.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he got lost nuzzling her.

"Oh…Yes…" He heard her groan as she wiggled against his body. He was still hard inside her. "God…never has it been that good."

"Neither for me…" He leaned back and gazed at her, tucking the slick strands of her hair behind her ears and at last rolling them back towards their sides so he was no longer crushing her.

"You're still hard."

"And if I don't stop now, you'll be very sore. Sleep, we have all the time in the world." He kissed her gently.

"Mmmm…." He felt her exhale on his skin as she snuggled closer and he draped the sheets over top of them.

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Warmth…incredible warmth seeped into her body and tingles, little fluttering tingles centered around her neck as she was caught between sleep and awake. She felt utterly boneless, completely sated, and realized that this is what all women talked about when they had 'mind-blowing sex'. However, it was more than just that as she breathed in the mixture of scents in the room. The tang of her arousal combined with his musky fragrance in a heady combination that caused her heart to beat wildly in her chest as visions of the night before flashed before her eyes.

Sighing slightly she burrowed herself in his embrace as she came to full wakefulness.

"Morning." He sighed into her neck. "Did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep I've had in a very long time. It feels too good to move." She started to nibble on his neck and then roll her hips against his, feeling him harden even more in response.

"A little indulgence before breakfast? Mmm…naughty girl." She heard him growl as he started nuzzling her bite marks. "You are addictive."

"Look who's talking." She rolled onto her stomach feeling him follow her lifting her hips with his hands.

"You tempt me in the most delicious ways. I want you like this…and in so many other different ways." She felt him slide his hand up her spine causing tiny shivers throughout her body. "Are you ready for me?"

"Yes…Please…"

At that moment he sank into her in one smooth thrust, leaning his weight on her and holding her. Sara welcomed the weight willingly, feeling the wonderful heat between her legs as his pace quickened. Her orgasm took her by surprise as he continued his pace, turning his thrusts to short and choppy, burning her with their intensity as she came again and again unable to stop. Finally she felt him come, groaning solidly and watching as his hand clenched the pillow by her head. He seemed to be in the midst of an endless orgasm, one that wouldn't stop. Finally he tensed and collapsed against her back, rolling them on their sides as he stayed within her.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He thought it was too good to be true as he kept his gaze on her, holding her close; holding onto the warmth that she radiated and felt content for the first time in his long life. Sighing contentedly, he trailed patterns along her back and watched her sleep, the soft light of the sun filtering through the crack in the drapes from his UV tented windows; feeling the warmth without the exposure. Hearing her sigh, he took in the scents in the room, feeling himself become aroused against her thigh.

"Morning." He rumbled against her neck, feeling her burrow closer. "Did you sleep well?"

She responded thickly her words muffled against his neck as she nibbled it then rolled herself against him, causing him to thicken further.

"A little indulgence before breakfast? Mmm…Naughty girl." He growled and started to nuzzle the marks he'd left on her, it was hard to resist those small red punctures that connected a pleasure center from where he fed. He'd left a little of himself inside of her, just a little. "You're addictive."

"Look who's talking." He heard her sigh and then she rolled on her stomach, providing him with a view that was just as beautiful as the front. Long legs curving into her lush posterior, dipping to her spine and then that long trail to between her shoulder blades and the dark chocolate curls that hid her neck. He couldn't stop himself as he settled behind her, caressing her curves as he pulled her up on her knees before him, smelling the sweetness of her arousal and watching as it dripped from her curls to the insides of her thighs.

"You tempt me in the most delicious ways." He chocked out, positioning himself behind her. "I want you like this…and in so many other different ways. Are you ready for me?"

"Yes…Please…" She chocked out and he wasted no more time, he positioned himself and thrust home, deeper than he'd been last night and he forced his body to stay focused, willing his fangs to stay put as he started a deep and fast rhythm, settling himself on top of her, his arm braced beside her head on the pillow, and his body absorbing her delicious curves against him. With a groan he quickened his pace, feeling her clench around him and feeling her orgasm. He kept going, pumping through it, changing his thrusts to short and choppy as he came a few beats after her third climax, he continued to come, the wonderful intensity making his breath catch, and making it feel like his heart ceased to beat for just that one small moment…finally he tensed and sagged against her, his breath coming in gasps as he rolled them to their sides, spooning behind her and keeping her close.

He said the only thing that came to mind. "So breakfast?"

Her laugh was smooth and sweet as they both made their way to the bathroom.


	14. Thirteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Thirteen

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

He was settled behind her in the oversized tub, the heated water all around them and the scent of sandal wood coated the room. One hand was coating a bath sponge while the other was holding her to his chest as he worked the sponge into a lather and started trailing it over her collar bone and down her right arm.

"Lift." He said softly as he started to trail the sponge up said appendage. "I love your skin…soft, toned, beautiful. The taste, the scent, the texture." Proceeding to nibble and lick her shoulder he let loose a rumbling purr and started working the sponge towards her left.

"I remember the first time I heard your voice…how it sent the most delicious trembles down my spine. I thought of you non stop from that point until we met again." He trailed the sponge towards her right breast, circling it, then rubbing the textured surface on her nipple hearing her sharp intake of breath as he eased towards her ear to whisper into it. "I was so hungry for you and I barely knew you. Sara, sweetheart, you called to me in a way that awakened every passion in me that I thought was long dead, that I thought never truly existed within myself."

"Gil…" Her hand clutched his as she drew the sponge across her chest towards her left breast. "Stop teasing me."

Sighing, he nipped at the bite marks again. "Even now I hunger for you. Just your taste…" He moved the sponge to her belly and trailed it along the smooth skin, slowly creeping towards her inner thighs but diverted to her right hip and then, leaning them both forward, trailed the sponge down her leg and back up, only to alternate towards the left.

Ringing out the sponge, he grabbed a shampoo bottle from the side and squirted a small dab onto his palm wetting her hair with the other hand he started to work the soap into her hair and scalp, massaging gently and scratching his nails lightly over her scalp. She answered his ministrations with a deep and throaty moan. His erection jerked in response.

"Gil…please."

"Patience…" He purred. "Let me take care of you, please."

"But…"

"Shhh…" He chastised with a chuckle. "It contents me to serve you, to give you pleasure, to make you feel relaxed."

She rolled against him, trapping his erection between his belly and her back. "I need you."

"Then you shall have me." Gil moved his hands from her hair and placed them on her hips, the buoyancy of the water making it easy for him to position and enter her in one smooth stroke. He groaned at the feel of her slick walls around him, but he didn't move, just continued to shampoo her hair. He then felt her jerk against him. "Easy…" Rinsing her hair he started rolling his hips in circles underneath her, she gasped as he pulled her against his chest.

"Clench for me, feel me, feel what you do to me." He couldn't stop his fangs from popping as she clenched hard around him, engulfed in her from root to tip. Feeling her again, he trailed his fangs over the twin punctures on her neck, feeling her shudder as he rolled his hips again. "Mmm…now roll your hips…"

She matched his motions in the opposite direction, the sweet friction causing him to pant and hearing her response to him made his head arch back as he hissed.

"Bite me…" She let out a strangled cry. "Please…"

"I…"

He felt her wrap her arm about his neck, pulling his head towards her, right where the punctures were. He licked them in one slow drawl causing her to arch back against him and plant her feet…starting a smooth rocking motion. The water starting to slosh around the tub and up over the sides.

"Come on, please baby."

Holding her chin tightly, he gave in…sinking his fangs into her tender flesh and drawing only a few small pulls. As soon as her taste hit his tongue he groaned, feeling the answering call straight down in his groin. She answered with a keening wail and immediately came as she continued to ride him slowly drawing out the rhythmic clenching around his hard, smooth shaft.

Purring softly, he released her neck with a moan and licked over the fresh punctures he made, sealing them over and drew her towards him. Holding her a little above him, sliding out slightly, he started to rock his hips into her in earnest, still feeling the remaining pulses from her previous orgasm. She was searing hot now, totally aroused, and fit over him like a silky glove. Groaning with the effort he trailed nipping kisses along her back until he felt her come loose again, following her over the edge and into oblivion as he slowly eased her back down against him, his erection still jerking inside her as he tried to catch his breath.

"God in heaven…" He rumbled against her shoulder. "I can't seem to get enough of you."

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Gil was torturing her in every sense of the word. Talking his sweet time washing her as they sat in the over sized tub. She was so aroused and he was acting like it was a slight itch as he dragged the bath sponge slowly across her arm then back down. His words hardly registered through the foggy haze in her mind. He then trailed the sponge across the top of her chest and repeated his motions on the other arm. The rumbling purr he let loose turned her insides to Jello as he started speaking again.

She felt his hot mouth starting to nibble on her neck, the wet suckling and the soft nipping around the bite marks that he had left the night before. She was completely and utterly soaked and it had nothing to do with the bath. He started to trail down slowly towards her right breast, circling it lazily and barely even touching the nipple causing ripples to follow. Soon she couldn't take it any more as she grabbed his hand in a jerky motion, getting her voice to work, but only slightly. A rough command to stop teasing as she drew the sponge across her chest towards her other breast as she felt him draw her closer.

He was hard against her back, the water causing him to bob slightly and she tried to get closer to him, tried to get him in the same boat as her, but he wouldn't. He continued his slow trek trailing the sponge in circular patterns across her belly and just when she thought he was going to ease some of her heat, he detoured and went towards her hip then down her right leg, easing them both forward and his erection became trapped between his belly and her back. She felt him back off and she followed him, trying to remain in contact as he alternated and trailed down her left leg.

When he released her and started wringing out the sponge, she wanted to groan in frustration, but bit her lip to keep from doing so. She then watched as his arm stretched across towards the ledge on the side, his fingers clasping around a shampoo bottle and squeezing some of the blue liquid onto his palm. Hearing the container click softly closed she felt as his other hand started working water into her hair and then the other coming in to massage the soap, his nails scraping against her scalp every so often. She couldn't help the long, low groan that came out of her lips in response to his ministrations. His answering jerk gave her all the information she needed.

"Gil..Please."

"Patience…" She heard and felt his purr. "Let me take care of you, please." He continued to massage.

"But…"

"Shhh…" He teasingly chastised and she pouted. "It contents me to serve you, to give you pleasure, to make you feel relaxed."

Unable to stand it anymore she rolled back against him, feeling his heat and the rhythmic pulsing in his thick arousal. "I need you…"

"Then you shall have me." Sara sucked in a breath softly as she felt his hands on her hips lifting her easily and sliding her down on his stiff shaft. She felt and heard his groan and she answered him in response, but instead of him moving he continued to shampoo her hair. A little annoyed at the prospect, but still enjoying the treatment, she started to try to find her footing and started to rock against him. He stilled her easily. "Easy." He rumbled. Finally he started rinsing her hair and then he started to roll his hips underneath her, the feeling giving her a brief sense of relief as she tried to gain rhythm again…and again he stilled her.

She gasped as he rolled his hips a little more sharply underneath her, pulling her against his chest. "Clench for me, feel me, feel what you do to me."

Answering his request, she clenched tightly around him, his size still amazed her, he was deep, hot, hard, smooth, and thick; pulsing wildly to the beat of his heart. She gasped again when she felt his fangs drag across the bite marks that were still there. She realized she wanted him to do it again without hesitation. Sara shuddered in pleasure as he nuzzled the marks.

"Bite me…" She groaned and she felt him back away with a strangled cry.

"I…"

Having none of it, she grabbed behind his neck and pulled him forward, planting her feet she started to rock, sliding against his chest with every stroke, the water sloshing around them as she let her rhythm persuade him.

"Come on, please baby…" She sighed and then she felt him grasp her chin firmly but gently and sink his fangs right into her neck and start to draw extremely slow pulls from her neck. Groaning in response she came immediately feeling everything he felt, from the throbbing between her thighs to the tension in her body. She felt him lift her half way, licking the marks on her neck and then he started to thrust into her, the heat building between them as the water became choppy, sloshing over the sides of the tub. She felt him press nipping kisses along her spine, his fangs dragging with it as she started to convulse again, this time hearing him come with her in an almost soundless bark.

Finally able to breath, she felt him ease her back down to the tub, his erection still jerking inside her as his breath was hot on her neck. "God in heaven…I can't seem to get enough of you."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

A little while later she was sitting on the counter watching him cook. Her donning the shirt he wore last night while he was in a pair of red silk boxers. It really should be a sin for someone to look so sexy in only a pair of boxers, hovering over a stove while making French toast. She watched the muscles in his arms shift as he flipped the toast into the air with ease and it landed back in the pan. The golden cross around his neck twinkled in the light as he shook the pan over the burner.

"Can you start pulling the fruit out of the fridge for me please?" She heard his rough rumble and nodded without question, sliding down from the counter and making her way towards the refrigerator.

"Anything special?"

"Strawberries, cherries, and a couple of apples."

He started to dish the toast on the plates provided and added a little bit of the chopped fruit before coating it in syrup and powdered sugar.

"Orange juice or Coffee?"

"Good ol' OJ." She laughed as she grabbed some silver ware while he rooted around in the fridge. She couldn't resist pinching his ass on the way by as she went to grab the plates and set them on the table.

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Jim Brass had just finished the rest of his grading in his criminology class as he started to pull up his documentations on the computer to get ready to enter the grades there. Sighing, he typed his screen name and password, waiting impatiently for the screen to load as their was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He grunted roughly.

"Well, aren't you a site for sore eyes."

Standing in the door way was Heather Kessler…AKA Lady Heather…


	15. Fourteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXxxxxxxxx

Fourteen

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

"What are you doing here?" He looked up at her with a frown as she strolled in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" She smiled slyly and inspected her nails. "You still owe me, and I'm calling in the favor."

"You always manage to get right to the point, don'cha?" He let his hands fall against his desk in agitation. "I told you I gave up that life and I wasn't going back to it."

"Whether you like it or not you are a part of my world now and you have one more obligation to fulfill. Or have you forgotten that bullet I took for you?" She sighed. "You were way over your head and in deep shit back when you were a detective. If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead."

"So why show up now? Twenty years later? It can't be because you have a soft spot for me."

"It's because you're the only one I can trust, you're the only human I know who really knows who I am and the people who are after me." He watched as she ran a hand over her face. "They are out of hiding and they are targeting us again. I won't let my kind be hunted like wild animals."

"Look even if I wanted to help, I'm a civilian now. No longer a cop, I can't offer you protection, I can't give you the help you need. Don't you have any acquaintances of your own species to help you? I'm pretty worthless."

"No one that I can trust, that's why I'm asking you." Her eyes caught his. "You know that I can't do this without help."

"Where's that Vincent guy you were talking about?"

"He's disappeared. I haven't seen him since he was exiled. We were pretty good friends. That was over a hundred years ago." She shook her head. "Besides, it wouldn't be worth it. He gave up that life for obvious reasons."

"Right. Anyway, I've got work to do. Maybe we can discuss this later." He waved to the paperwork in front of him and started typing away on his computer.

"Sure, we will." She tossed a card towards his desk. "Meet me there when you are finished. I'll be waiting." With those words she walked out leaving him looking at the card.

Jared Knox Bar-Grill

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So Sara, what are your plans tonight? You don't have to work do you?" Gil asked as he walked towards her and sat next to her on the couch.

"No, I'm off tonight." She cuddled into his side and sighed. "Why, did you want to go out for dinner?"

"Found a place just close by to here, Jared Knox…they have interesting desserts and fresh fruit. I made sure they served vegetarian." He smiled sweetly.

"You're too good to me."

"And you're too good for me." Leaning over he kissed her briefly and then pulled her into his lap. "Shall we go get ready? I made reservations for 7, it's actually partial formal so something smooth but casual will do just fine."

"Mmm, I think I have something."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Jim Brass pulled on his shirt in agitation as he pushed through the double doors into the dimly lit restaurant. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. Of all the times for Heather to show back up, this was one of the worst. Walking towards the table, he saw her sitting there in a solid black gown and thought that she didn't have to look so formal, he wasn't staying for dinner.

Taking his seat, he got right to the point. "So, what is this really about?"

"You know what it's about. You've known for years, what you saw in that warehouse is not something anyone can easily forget." She rubbed her temples. "Hell, I've tried to forget it for years, but it just doesn't work that way. They killed my mate, my daughter and I now I have nothing."

"Look, you know I'm sorry for your losses, but I just don't see what help I'm going to be. I'm not a vampire, I don't have the strength and I'm not practically indestructible."

"I need you to keep me sane. That was always Jonathan's job, but he's no longer around to do that." She shook her head. "I thought that after we took care of their base and most of them were arrested that I'd be able to have a somewhat normal life, but it never happened. There is still someone on the inside that knows I'm still alive."

"Then why don't you relocate?"

"It's not that simple." She sighed and took a drink of her wine. "I can't be like I once was. We can't run anymore, they track us. Credit card records, name changes, pictures, passports. That's why they haven't found Vincent yet. He got here before they originated in this area; he's probably had several name changes since then. If I had the resources I'd probably be able to find him."

"Would you know him if you saw him?"

"Yes, he's very unforgettable. He's the one who introduced me to John."

Brass leaned back in his chair and took her in. "What is it exactly that you need?"

"There is another place in this area and there are a few scattered around Texas and New York. Not very big places, because they are trying to be inconspicuous, but they are noticeable if you know what you're looking for." She shrugged. "You have an eye that I do not."

"Look, Heather. I'm going to need to think about this, I left that life for obvious reasons twenty years ago. I never wanted to see something like that and didn't need to." He shook his head. "I'll be going now."

"Stay." She grasped his hand. "Please, have dinner. Think about it here, because if you don't come to a decision soon…I'm going to have to try to relocate the best I can with the limited sources that I have."

Against his better judgment, he fulfilled her request.

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's fine, Sara." Gil smiled at her as they walked into the dimly lit restaurant. "Wonderful isn't it?"

"Yes, but I still feel like I'm a bit under dressed for the occasion. I mean, I hardly match the décor." She chuckled softly as she took in the beautifully arranged chairs that were darkly stained and polished fitted to long and circular tables with blood red satin table cloths fitted over with glass covers. A beautifully shined wood floor and there were candles lit at almost every table.

Gil walked up to the host pulling Sara gently behind him.

"How may I be of service to you sir?"

"I have a table for two reservation under the name Grissom."

He watched as the man looked over his list and then smiled brightly. "Yes, right this way sir."

They followed and were seated at a table in the back, napkins were placed in their laps and they ordered their drinks. "You spoil me way too much."

"I can't help it. I love doing it; nothing is too much for you my dear."

As they continued their conversation, they did not know they were being watched.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I just think that the job is not for me, that is all…" Jim sighed softly and watched as she wasn't even focused on him any more. "What is it?"

"You see that man over there with the young woman?"

Turning his head he focused on the couple… "Sara?"

"You know her?" She stated surprised. "Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say that she's with our long lost Vincent."

Jim's eyes bugged out of his head. "My daughter is dating a vampire?" He placed his palm over his face and rubbed it over his eyes. "Damn this is just one small world."

"Dating? Good Lord…so that's what he meant when he refused to take a mate. He wanted to fall in love with someone." She shook her head. "And a human no less."

"I think he calls himself Gil Grissom now."

"Really?"

"That's what Sara said; he saved her from almost being raped one night."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, the hairs on the back of his neck started to stand up as he turned to find out who was looking at him. He tapped Sara's hand softly.

"We're being watched, honey."

She turned her head in the direction he was looking and gasped. "Jim?"

"I know, and I think he's with Lady Marie Rice."

"Old friend."

"Wife of my old pal Jonathan." He shook his head. "I never thought I'd see any of them ever again. It's quite a shocker to see Marie without her mate."

"I wonder why she's with Jim."

"I don't know, usually her and John are joined at the hip. Something doesn't feel right." He rubbed his chin absentmindedly. "Let's find out what's going on."

"I agree one hundred percent." She answered softly, hooking her arm around his as they made their way over to their table.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Vincent…" Heather got up to greet him with a hug. "It's been well over a century. Where have you been?"

He returned her embrace slightly and then turned to get Sara situated in her chair then sitting down beside her. "I've been bouncing around. I would appreciate it if you would call me Gil. Vincent is no longer who I am, that left when I left the society."

He watched her nod and then her eyes focused on him again. "Fine, just as long as you call me Heather."

"Agreed." Gil turned to Sara once more. "This is Sara Sidle."

Sara held out her hand in greeting and she received a firm shake. "Nice to meet you."

"Like wise."

"Gil, this is my adoptive father, Jim Brass. Jim, this is Gil Grissom."

Again handshakes were exchanged.

"I'd like to thank you personally for saving my daughter. I am in debt to you."

"Females are to be treated with respect that is the only thing that matters." He smiled. "So I take it we'll be finishing our meals."

Jim nodded. "Heather has some news for you, Gil. It's not pleasant and I think you need to hear it."

Gil nodded and turned to her. "One question first, where's John?"

"That's the news, Gil. John is dead." She hung her head. "He's been dead for twenty years."

His eyes popped out of his head and then he traced a hand over his face grasping onto Sara's hand tightly. She returned the squeeze.

"What…what happened?"

"He was trying to save our daughter. Unfortunately, she is no longer living either." A single tear traced down her cheek.

"Who…?"

"The blood packers. Twenty years ago they ran a warehouse just out side of Vegas, we were targeted. They got Cindy, John went after her." She shook her head. "That's when Jim came into the picture."

Gil looked over at him.

"I was a homicide cop, Vegas PD, got called in on multiple murders, there were still suspects in the building, I almost got shot trying to save her…we saved each other. I shoved her out of the way; she took a bullet for me. After that and the case was closed, she disappeared." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'd never seen such carnage in all my years on the force. After that, I retired, became a teacher."

"So why are you back now?" Sara popped in the conversation.

"He owes me a favor; I'm here to collect it. I want the ones who got away."

"Heather, you know that there are no rewards for revenge. John wouldn't want you to." Gil sighed softly.

"Unlike you Gil, I'm still part of the society…we're just relocated to different parts of the world. A lot has changed since you left."

He sighed. "Look, you can't avenge his death. Going against the blood packers is suicide."

"Says the man who disappeared without a trace."

"I was exiled, what was I supposed to do? Wait around and drink tea?" He sighed. "I wanted to be as far away from the society as possible."

"And what about Lady Margret?"

"She was using me as a food source, she never loved me and the more I think about it, I really didn't love her, I just thought I did because I was desperate to find someone to connect to. You and John were my only friends and I had to leave you behind. I had no choice." His eyes shifted and Sara put a hand on his shoulder.

"Gil…"

"Sorry my dear."

"I see that your female has you trained." She smiled. "Do you love her even though she is human?"

"I love her more than anything." He pulled Sara closer to him. "I need her more than anything."

Jim cleared his throat. "So, Gil. What are you going to do about the situation?"

"That I do not know. There are not a lot of options when it comes to the blood packers. They are a relatively secret society that date back decades, perhaps centuries. When I was with the society, I never knew about them. I was attacked on the streets of London a few years after my exile, I was lucky I survived." He felt Sara rub his thigh with her hand.

"What are blood packers?"

"They are a very secretive sect of humans who hunt vampires, specifically pure bloods, drain them, kill them, and sell their blood for money."

"Why?"

"Our blood is very valuable. A scientist discovered certain properties that our blood possesses. Said scientist started the sect after becoming mentally unstable. Our blood, if ingested every few months like we feed, can keep humans alive for as long as we live. If the regimen is stopped for any reason, however, the effects are less forgiving."

"So basically a fountain of youth?"

"In a manner of speaking. The main side effect is a degenerative brain disorder that turns the brain to mush. A more advanced form of the modern day schizophrenia."

"So the man didn't have access to the source and created the sect to get him supplied with the blood?"

"Yes, and several others that found out the bloods secrets. Though, prolonged fast before ingestion and the damage that was done can't be reversed. Humans don't have certain proteins in their blood to recreate tissue quickly like we do. So whatever damage is halted from progressing, but the effects are long term."

"Is he still alive?"

"No, he died. But his sect still lives on with his family line. That's the problem."

"Do you know where they are stationed?" Sara started to work in on her dessert.

"I do not; they are so secretive, and private. It's a miracle that John found them, even Heather." He then looked at Jim. "Especially you."

"It doesn't feel like a miracle to me. What I saw in that room still gives me nightmares."

"I can imagine so. I was in a facility once, I was lucky to escape it alive." Gil visibly shivered at the thought.

"What did you see?" Sara found herself asking.

"Nothing pleasant and nothing that needs repeating, ever." He clasped her hand in his and rubbed over her knuckles. "Trust me on this. I've lived a long time and nothing had scared me much until I wound up there."

"Yeah, Sara. You don't need to know about it." Jim chimed in. "I don't even want to remember it."

The rest of the dinner was filled with pleasant conversations, memories, and a few more information collecting sessions before it ended and they were all saying good bye.

Sara hugged Heather first while Gil talked to Jim.

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"Thank you, that means a lot. But when you live as long as we do, the world hardens us. For people to kill without real reason, it makes me sick to see how much the world has changed." She shook her head.

Sara nodded. "I know, I agree."

"The society has not, just relocated here and there. I returned after his death and now with them back, they charged me with avenging him. I could not refuse."

All Sara could do was look at the woman before her.

"Take care of him; you both are good for each other. I know if John were still alive he'd be so happy for him." With a final shoulder rub she was gone.

X X

"So, you and Sara?"

"Yes. As awkward as it may be, I'm courting your daughter. She is a very wonderful and vibrant woman." Gil smiled and rubbed a hand behind his neck. "Do you not approve?"

"You saved her, Gil. Plus she's a grown woman and can make her own decisions. If I didn't know about your kind, I'd probably be a little freaked right now, but it doesn't really bother me." He shrugged. "I see how you treat her, how you look at her. She deserves what you can give her; she's had a hard life. I won't be around forever and she needs someone to take care of her when I'm gone."

Gil nodded. "About the warehouse."

Jim sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it, really."

"I have time."

"I don't know, I'll think about it."

"That's good enough for now." Gil patted him on the back. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Not judging me."

"Just remember this; I don't care if you are a vampire. You hurt my daughter and I'll find some way to kick your ass." He smirked.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Then we're going to get along just fine."


	16. Fifteen

_Disclaimer: I Do not own CSI..._

_A/N: Please be advised that there are very intense descriptions in the following chapters that contain detailed gore, mutilation, and a lot of other things. Read with caution. _

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fifteen

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Sara and Gil made their way into the town house, she had a lot of questions to ask…but she was going to bite her tongue until he was ready. He'd just found out a good friend of his was dead, he needed time to grieve. She watched as he loosened his tie and sat down on the couch.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked hesitantly.

Finally his eyes connected with hers and he shook his head. "No my dear. Just come here and let me hold you."

Nodding she settled on his lap and let him pull her close, feeling him bury his face in her neck and sigh. "He was a good friend, a good male. You would've liked him."

Sara ran her hands through his hair and laid her cheek atop his head. "I'm sure I would have. Did you know each other long?"

"We grew up together." She felt him sigh, his hot breath blowing out against her neck. "We were as close as brothers, even though we were unrelated. Fifty or so years later, I met Lady Marie and her business partner Lady Margret. They were from another part of the society and as soon as John and Marie met, they hit it off instantly. But, as you would guess, I got talked into a double date, as you call it now."

"And?"

"I started courting Margret later, I thought that we had a connection, but we didn't. It was a while later that I started getting more serious, but she wasn't. I was just her food source while she was in town. I broke it off; I wasn't going to be used. That was three months before I was exiled. John and Marie were married years before that." She felt him hold her tighter. "I was exiled a little after I found out that they were expecting a child, I never did find out what the gender was. After that I just bounced around over the world and never looked back. Rules were you had to move at least five hundred miles away."

"So when did you get started with the Entomology?"

"Well, I saw these beautiful butterflies flying around. The coloring was very unique and intricate. Unfortunately they no longer exist, but I was intrigued by them and then I started to study other species. I did it to forget about the hunger." He shrugged and kissed her gently. "Apparently I've got a lot to catch up on."

"What about Jim?"

"Whatever he saw in that compound, he was meant to see. As for my old friend, I do not know what is to become of her."

"She told me before we left that she was charged with avenging John's death." Sara looked at him questioningly.

"As being a member of a society, male or female can be charged with the simple task of justice to the main party members. John was one of them; he had been promoted into the council before I left. It shouldn't be something that Heather should bear. Besides me, he was the only other pure blood in the clan. Going against the blood packers is suicide." He lifted up off the couch with her in his arms and placed her on her feet. "I need to eat something."

"Gil."

"Sara…I know we just ate, but it's something I need to do." He shook his head sadly.

"You're stressed. It's understandable, you're grieving."

"Yes, but a vampire's reaction to stress and a human's is totally different. I need to feed, but you are not ready. I just fed from you this morning and last night. Your body needs time to rebuild." He took out a raw steak from the refrigerator.

"I'm not afraid."

"I am; I will not do that to you. You could wind up in a hospital in shock from blood loss. You need a few weeks."

She took a knife from the cutting block and he grabbed her wrist. "Gil…"

"No, Sara. Please, trust me." He took the knife away from her. "You need your blood."

"And you need me." She met him face to face and jerked her hand free, this time her hand hit the sharp side of the counter and the pain was immediate.

She watched as he cursed and dragged her hand to his lips, licking the long slice closed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Her hand came to rest on his cheek. "Eat your steak and come find me later, I'll be in the bedroom."

"Of course."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jim was sitting in his living room with a glass of Scotch in one hand and the TV remote in the other. He thought he'd forgotten it all, but things like that can't ever be truly forgotten. Muting the TV, he placed the remote on the side table beside the couch and downed the rest of the liquor in his glass.

Setting it down with a hard thump, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger trying to get the images of that night to leave him alone.

…X X

_It was cold, colder than he ever remembered it being as he sat off the side street at a gas station with a cup of coffee pumping gas. The scanner was on the fritz as usual and he slammed a hand against its surface. _

_After a few minutes the machine came back to life in a haze of static and reports started firing off. _

_"Yeah this is C0-12 on the outer limits, there is an abandoned warehouse out here that has been putting off a really rancid smell and we've been assigned to check it out."_

_"Roger that C0-12, proceed with caution." _

_"Will do C0-12 out." _

_Sighing, he got out of the car and topped off his tank, going inside to pay his bill and then making the trek back across the lot and into his vehicle. _

_"Dispatch this is C0-12…" The scanner boomed to life again, the voice sounded panicked. "We've got a situation over here, there are suspects on the scene and multiple DB's, I repeat multiple DB's." _

_"Roger that." The line went quiet as he started heading to the address that was specified earlier in the transmission. "This is dispatch to all available units near the outskirts, officer needs assistance at abandoned warehouse…suspects still at scene, multiple DB's." _

_He picked up his radio. "Roger that this is C0-24, I am en route to that location." _

_"Roger that." _

_XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_He wasn't prepared for what he saw as he arrived at the scene, there were several officers that had responded to the call and a couple teams of forensic scientists, plus a few coroners. The smell was rancid, a combination of rotting flesh and something else he couldn't place as he pulled the handkerchief out of his back pocket and held it over his nose. He walked up to the nearest officer. "What's the story?"_

_"Well, we've been getting a lot of disturbance calls from around this area, especially with the smell. Place is abandoned, but we were finally able to get an officer out here." He pointed to a man off the side throwing up behind his squad car. "It's not pretty in there and Bradshaw has a pretty strong stomach." _

_Jim nodded. "So what should I expect?"_

_"A lot of blood, used medical supplies, tools, and a lot of bodies with their heads missing. Thing is, we don't know where a lot of the heads are. Whatever has been going on, it's been going on for a very long time without anyone's notice." _

_The man's phone went off. "Samson…" _

_Jim walked up to the building and the smell hit him full force as he looked along the blood stained concrete floor. He was not prepared for what he saw. Bodies were piled up against the wall on either side stretching along from front to back, skulls littering the spaces between with hospital type beds covering the empty spaces in rows. Blood drawing equipment was scattered everywhere along with surgical tools and needles. He continued to walk carefully around the mess and came to a supply closet. Putting on a glove, he opened the door and a body fell right on top of him. _

_"Shit." _

_"Brass?"_

_"Back here…" He watched as the officer came into view. "I hope you got a body bag with you and some evidence bags. You're going to need to collect my coat." _

_"I'm on it." _

_Listening to the man on the radio, he looked around his surroundings and then handed his jacket over to one of the CSI's. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone…immediately he was in pursuit pulling his gun from his holster. _

_"This is Captain James Brass LVPD, at the warehouse, we have a hot scene, I repeat hot scene. Suspect on the move I am in pursuit." _

_The hallway seemed endless as he followed what appeared to be a Caucasian male down deeper into the plant. Coming to a stop, he looked down at the floor just as the lights went out. "Perfect." _

_Pulling out his flashlight, he put it atop his gun and looked down at the floor, bloody foot prints off and going right down the corridor. A door shut in the distance and then shots were fired and he felt himself being taken down to the ground._

_"Move it or he'll kill us both."_

_"Who are you!"_

_"There is no time." The voice belonged to a woman, husky low and she had superior strength as she hauled him to his feet and they hauled ass down the corridor to an abandoned room. "It's best if you leave that off." _

_He gripped his mag-lite and turned it off as they heard a rush of foot prints go past the door. "What's going on?"_

_"They're after me, just like I'm after them."_

_"Why?"_

_"They killed my family, cop. That's all you need to know. Let's go." _

_Again, she showed superior strength as she pulled him down another long corridor and then into another. As the power came back on they were stopped short as three men were at the end with hand guns. _

_"You can not hide from us forever princess." _

_"Fuck you." _

_As Jim watched the scene unfold he pulled a table quickly from one of the open rooms and pulled it up to make a shield. The front man had pulled the hammer back on his gun and was ready to fire._

_"This is LVPD put your weapons down and put your hands up." _

_The man to the side cocked his pistol as well." This doesn't concern you, mortal." _

_"Last warning, put your weapons down or I will be authorized to use deadly force." Jim aimed his gun at the front man just as he pulled the woman towards him. Shots were fired, chaos ensued, and two men were dead by the time it was over, the woman was gravely injured. A bullet to the back. _

_"This is Captain Brass, I need an ambulance to the abandoned warehouse, I have a civilian down, possible hostage." He looked down at her. "Everything's going to be okay." _

_She shook her head. "No, it won't." She lost consciousness. _

_…X X_

Jim rubbed his temples as he sat there and sighed. Then his phone rang.


	17. Sixteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

_A/N: Still more disturbing and graphic imagery. Viewer discretion is advised..._

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Sixteen

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara was restless as she sat in her physics class listening to the professor ramble on about another formula. It had taken just a little bit of makeup to cover up the marks so that she could go around in public. Then her thoughts turned to their bedroom activities during the night before she had to get up and come to class. Her thoughts then strayed to how uncomfortable she was to leave him alone after he'd suffered a tragic loss. However, his morning routine had no change as he made her breakfast and kissed her passionately before he led her to the door, staying in the shadows to avoid getting burned.

"Miss Sidle?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to share your results with the whole class, or do you have a better place to be?"

"Sorry. My friend has suffered a loss in his family and I'm worried about how he's coping." She thought quickly and replied.

"I'm sorry to hear about that. Now your results please and then every one can be dismissed." The professor held out his hand for her work and waved the class off as the bell rang.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gil was finishing up the chores he'd assigned himself to do during the day, he'd just finished vacuuming when there was a knock at the door. Propping the machine up with a click, he made his way and looked through the peep hole. Jim Brass stood on the other side. Aware of the sun, Gil opened the door and stepped back.

"What's up?" He asked nonchalantly

"I need to talk to you." Jim walked through the threshold as Gil shut the door and then came to stand beside him.

"Is this about Sara?"

"No, you said if I ever needed to talk to you that you'd be available. You've seen what I've seen."

Gil sighed and started making his way down the stairs towards the kitchen. "Well, I'll find us something a little strong to kick back. You go ahead and make yourself comfortable alright?"

"Sure…" He answered uneasily as he settled himself into the couch. "Nice place you got here."

"Thanks." Gil shouted. "Bourbon okay with you?"

"Yeah, fine. Just as long as it burns on the way down."

Gil came back up the stairs with two glasses of the dark amber liquid, handing one to Jim and taking a seat next to him. "Thanks."

He nodded. "So, what is it that you remember most?"

"The smell, a cop about ten years my senior, usually had a strong stomach…he was puking his guts out behind his squad car. Bodies being removed from the house one by one." He took a sip. "The building itself was worse than the outside…it was never cleaned, blood was on the floor…and in the corners were bodies, a lot of bodies. They were decapitated."

"Out off all the things the blood packers are known for, cleanliness wasn't one of them when it comes to our kind. They let us rot in our own filth." Gil sighed. "It was a few years after I left the society and had a home just on the outskirts of London, I was grabbed right off the street and a hood was placed over my head…"

X X

_The rain had stopped a little while ago, fog lifting as the moon started to shine through the clouds. Their was a slight breeze coming from the east as he made the slow trek towards his apartment with a big bag of groceries on his hip. Usually he took his car, but he wanted to walk, needed to walk. He was starting to feel antsy in his own skin. Hunger wasn't a thing to play with._

_The houses on his street were modest, not very well kept, but after investing most of his money with interest, it was all he could afford while he waited for a few business deals to go through. Rounding the corner, he wasn't prepared for what happened next. _

_In a flash he was brought down to the ground and his bag of food was sent flying in front of him. He hissed in displeasure and was kicked in the face. A hood automatically went over his head as he was dragged to his feet. The bag was soaked in something vile as he started to struggle to remain conscious. He failed, his eyes drooping as he fought with his captures. _

_X X_

_It felt like days before he woke up again, his eyes grimy with an unknown substance as he looked around the room. Several more of his kind were on the beds on either side of him, blood coated the walls. Craning his neck he saw bodies in the corner followed by old medical equipment, heads just a few feet in front of the bodies. The stench and the filth made him want to vomit as he tried to fight a wave of dizziness. The woman next to him was no longer breathing and deathly pale, the pan below her arm was completely full. _

_The hairs on the back of his head stood on end as he finally realized where he was…a blood packer compound. Feeling started to come back to his right arm in a pins and needles sensation and he felt it was strapped just like the woman next to him as he felt the blood slowly drain out of him. His other arm was strapped too, the tight leather bands digging into his flesh. He craned his neck to find his feet chained, he was almost completely naked except for the ripped pants he wore. _

_Thumping his head back on the mattress, he mentally groaned and gritted his teeth. He was the only one alive in the room, he could sense it. They left him thinking he wouldn't wake up, it was time to leave. He laid there for a few moments breathing in deeply, in and out, in and out; preparing himself for his next move. It was going to hurt like hell._

_After a few more deep breaths, he closed his eyes tight, balled his left hand into a fist, gritted his teeth and started to heave up. Straining against the thick leather, he started to hear it rip under the stress. His muscles straining, his fangs popping, the veins in his neck protruding…a fine sheen of sweat started to form on his brow as the strap finally gave way. A final jerk of his arm later, one down, four to go. _

_Flopping back to the disgusting bedding, he gasped a couple breaths in and tried to calm his racing heart feeling his blood pool between his fingertips as he moved to undo the buckle holding his right arm down off the bed for his blood to drain in the pan below. Grunting with the effort, he finally got his hand free and wiped it on his pant leg. Looking down at the angry red cut, he licked it gently to seal it and then took off the leftover cuff from his left wrist, blood pooling around the angry red marks, he licked those closed too. _

_Looking down at the pan on the floor, he decided to leave it alone, the blood had not been cleansed, even if it was his own, the drugs they pumped in him earlier would hinder his escape. Stealthily he walked towards the door in the back and pressed his ear to the blood crusted wood, closing his eyes and focusing on the sounds. It was quiet, way too quiet, and he ducked down to the grime coated floor, knocking a skull rolling as he did so and opened the door slowly. It was surprisingly silent for being crusted in grime and every other dirty thing he could think of. _

_Letting his eyes adjust to the dark, he started to crawl and stay low, if he was lucky no one in the compound had ingested any of the blood and he would make a clean get away._

_The odds were not in his favor._

_Around the corner came footfalls and there were three men that had weapons. Cursing at the rotten luck, he got to his feet as one of the men charged him, he had enough strength to take him down by moving out of his way, grabbing his hair and twisting his neck until it snapped. He felt sickened by his actions, but he had no other choice as the mans body slunk into a lifeless heap on the ground._

_The other two had a bit more edge as he received several blows to the face. His vision became fuzzy around the edges and how he managed to make it outside the compound he'd never know as he dragged himself into the night passing out just on the cobblestone road._

X X

"And that's all I remember of that night."

"Holy shit." Brass stated draining the rest of his glass. "So what are we going to do about this? Are you planning to get involved?"

"I wasn't. I left that life, and even though John was my best friend, I am no longer in the society." He shook his head. "Heather has no business being charged to avenge him. Quite frankly I think they should've sent a higher party member and some guards. But, they would be no match for the blood packers. Especially with the drugs they have today."

Jim nodded. "So what do I tell Heather?"

"I don't know."

"You know she disappeared again, I don't know what she's planning but I think she's going to do it with or without me."

"And that's not good for anyone, Jim."

Just then they heard the key turn in the lock and Sara walk through the threshold. "Gilbert baby, I brought dinner." Her eyes widened as she saw her dad sitting with him and a forlorn expression on his face. "Jim are you okay?"

"Yes and no, Sara. There is a lot on my mind right now and I don't know how to process it. I was talking to Gil about it because he knows what I've seen."

She nodded. "There is probably going to be some extras if you want to stay for dinner."

"Of course, kiddo. I wouldn't miss dinner with you for the world." He hugged her and kissed her forehead, taking some bags from her hands as Gil followed suit.

"So what were you guys chatting about?"

"The warehouse." They said at the same time.

"Am I ever going to know what happened to either of you any time soon?" She placed a hand on both of their shoulders, standing between them at the kitchen counter. "I mean, I am in this too and I want to be here for both of you. I just don't know how if you won't tell me. Either of you."

"It's not that we don't want to tell you Sara, it's just that you're new to all this. New to this different world that I've brought you into. Not once did I ever think I'd have to tell you about them since they've been quiet for more than fifty years. At least to me." Gil sighed and pulled her close. "I just want you to be safe."

"I understand, but I'm not a little kid. I know I'll be grossed out by it, maybe even have nightmares. But I feel like I have a right to know."

"You do, but it freaks us out even to talk about it because we've lived it. Remember how I'd wake in the middle of the night, Sara? It was nightmares." Jim rubbed a hand over his face. "I never told you because I never thought I'd ever have to. I thought I'd closed that chapter of my life twenty years ago. Who knew I'd be standing here to day in the kitchen of a vampire, no offense, and be discussing it all over again."

"None taken." Gil smiled and started dishing out the Chinese food.

"I got the meat raw for you Gil."

"Thank you my dear." He nuzzled her neck. "I've been very hungry here lately. I'm sorry I've been avoiding you."

"It's okay, in a few days, it'll be okay."

Jim looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh…I don't need to know he's feeding off you. Not trying to be judgmental but, it's kinda awkward to hear you feeding schedule."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to displease you." Gil turned towards the counter. "I shall wait until you leave."

"Thanks, hey don't sweat it." He tapped him on the shoulder. "You gotta live."

They all went to the dinning room and sat down. "So, really what's the situation?"


	18. Seventeen

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

_A/N: More disturbing imagery in this chapter, please read at your own risk..._

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Seventeen

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lady Heather shrugged her coat off as she kicked the door shut behind her. She'd called Brass and he, again, told her he needed time to think about it. She didn't have time, enough time had passed. It was time for action. The details of what happened that night were still as vivid as if they happened yesterday instead of 20 years ago.

Running a hand through her dark hair, she pulled lightly as the images danced behind her eyelids. She wiped under her eyes, the mascara coating her fingers as her eyes continued to tear up. She missed her family terribly, it still cut like a knife and she couldn't get the pain in her heart to stop.

Growling low in her throat, she lifted the coffee table in front of her and tossed it over on its back landing on the couch behind it. Her anger abated for a moment as she sunk down into the cushioned chair behind her and let the images once again consume her.

_X X _

_"She's gone damnit and I'm going to find her." Jonathan Rice yelled out at her. "She's my daughter, my responsibility." _

_"John, going out there is suicide! They will kill you and then where will I be?"_

_"I can't let the society take matters into their own hands. They won't find Cindy, Marie." He put a hand to either side of her face. "Our daughter is in the hands of the most notorious vampire hunters that have ever lived. I can't just sit back and do nothing." _

_"And you expect me to?" She hissed out. "This isn't easy for me either, I want to find her."_

_"Then let me go."_

_"It's against the law of the society."_

_"Well they can just fuck themselves. Vincent was right for leaving." He pushed a chair aside and it knocked against their bedroom wall. "I'm going to find her, Marie."_

_She grabbed the lapels of his coat and pulled him towards her, kissing his lips with a fiery passion as if it was going to be her last breath. "Be safe…please."_

_A tear slid down her cheek as he put his forehead to hers, wiping it away with his thumb. "I love you…" _

_X X_

_The air was cold and stale, the rain had stopped but she didn't care if it was raining or not. She told him to be careful, told him to let the society take care of it…but he refused and now he hadn't returned so she was out looking for him._

_The warehouse was quiet, smelled sickening and vile, and she couldn't believe what she was doing as she snuck in an open door and walked towards a corridor down the hall where she entered. The lights flickered on and off, the humming the only noise she heard as she made her way slowly along the dingy floor._

_She almost screamed when she made it to the main room, the floor covered in used medical supplies and bodies lined up along the walls. There were skulls, some old and some new. Some with eyes, some without, most of them had maggots and other insets crawling around and inside of them…it made her want to vomit, but she squashed the feeling and looked at the cots that were lined up inside the large room from front to back stopping at least three feet before they ran into the pile of bodies on either side going from east to west. _

_Their were bags hanging from each of the beds on the right side, needles stuck in each arm, almost every body deathly pale from blood loss. She spotted Cindy on a cot and cried, her throat had been slit, bag removed, and her blonde hair had been chopped off in thick chunks. Blood coated the pants she wore ripped and torn….it looked as if she'd been sexually assaulted…_

_Tears slipped down her face as she closed her daughter's lifeless eyes, once so bright and vibrant green, once held so much joy…now were dead and pale blue almost white against the bloodshot surface. She heard a scuffle outside and hid under her bed quickly. _

_She silently chastised herself for hiding like a coward, but she had no choice, John was somewhere in there and she intended to find him. The sight that her eyes caught next would haunt her memory forever more. It was John, pasty white in contrast to his dark clothes being dragged in by his arms in chains by two men. Another man followed them with an ax. Her hand fell over her mouth as she tried to keep her scream from being released along with her tears as the ax came down and his head rolled…a trail of blood spattering on the wall…not much was left, but it was enough. His head was but a few feet away from her tilted on its side, the eyes wide open and his mouth as well. His fangs were missing along with some of his teeth as she tried to quiet the sobs that were forcing their way out. _

_Seeing a syringe on the floor, she confiscated it and watched as the men threw his body, without care, on top of the others. It made her extremely angry. She'd come to rescue her husband and her daughter and wound up without both. _

_"The master is going to be very happy with us. It's time to ditch this dump and move on to another location."_

_"Where?"_

_"North, good selection of places to choose from."_

_X X_

_She'd managed to evade them most of the night, managed to get around and continue her surveillance to find out where they were headed next, but she made one mistake._

_She slipped on a patch of fresh blood, the needle that she clutched clattering to the floor and alerting them to her presence. It was time to run. Three men followed her, running after her, with speed and agility that humans were not supposed to possess. They'd been ingesting the blood; she was as good as caught._

_Sirens on the outside alerted her to police company as she ran passed an open door way and down the hall. She heard a new set of foot falls join the parade and a gruff male voice. LVPD, a cop…and he didn't know what he was getting himself into._

_Rounding another corridor, she heard shots close by and dived on him, catching him by surprise as they both fell down. Then she hauled him up and down two more hallways before pulling them both into a room and silencing him…the rest was a blur until she woke up in the hospital alone and in pain. _

X X

Tears still trailed down her cheeks as she picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"Brass…"

"Are you in or are you out? I'll do this myself if I have to."

"Heather, please."

"No. I will not let their deaths be in vain." She choked back her sobs.

"I'm coming over, don't go anywhere. Where are you staying?"

"Jim…"

"Don't argue with me, where are you staying?"

"The Bellagio room 623."

"Thirty minutes, be ready."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gil and Sara watched as Jim snapped his phone shut and turned to them.

"That was Heather, she's thinking of doing this mess on her own." He shook his head. "I'm not going to let her do that."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Gil, no." Sara grabbed his arm.

"Sara, it's suicide! She's not thinking clearly." Gil shook his head and laced his fingers through hers. "I know you want to go, but you can't."

"Then make me able."

"Sara, you don't know what you're asking." He completely turned to face her. "You'd become dependent on me."

"We both are dependent on each other, what would I have to do?" Her eyes pleaded with him.

"You need time to think about it, Sara. I won't put you at risk and the results aren't instant. You won't become me but you'd have to feed off me in order to stay sane. It's a lot different." He shook his head. "Sara, it's dangerous. I can't lose you."

"Do you think that I could lose you? Either of you?" She turned her eyes to Jim. "I know I'm being selfish here, but you guys are the two most important people in my life. Jim you saved me when no one else wanted me, and Gil you loved me when no one else would. Now some one from the past, that neither of you have seen in a very long time, comes forward and you decide to go off on a wild goose chase! Talk her out of it."

"She'll be banished."

"She can be banished…it'd be a lot better than going after those monsters. She would be able to find a new life, just like you did." Her eyes again met Gil's. "I know that your species tends to cling a lot more than ours does, but she needs to move on with her life in a way that doesn't result in her death. If she goes after them, then their deaths would be in vain."

"I agree with you, Sara. But Heather won't see it that way." Gil stated grimly, stroking her cheek. "We have a deep sense of honor to our mates, we want justice served and in the society it's often given to the male or female that was bled to the deceased. It's our responsibility and our honor to uphold that contract. Marriage is so much than words on a page, it's blood to blood. If we got married in my tradition, you would actually have to drink from me."

Her hand cupped his cheek. "I don't know what to say."

There was a throat clearing behind them. "Jim Brass party of one still here."

"Oh…Sorry." She turned with a blush on her face. "We're going now."

"Sara."

"Look, she needs help. She needs guidance, I want to help." She sighed. "If the honor is as deep as you say, maybe I can at least come up with a safer way to achieve her goal. It's worth a try."

With a soft nod Gil conceded to her request and they both grabbed their coats. "Let's go, Jim. You can't talk her out of it if you try."

"That's my girl." Jim grinned as they all headed out the door.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Heather opened the door and ushered them in quickly slamming it behind them. She looked frayed and she sat down in the chair in the corner with a heaviness that couldn't be mistaken for anything but emotional.

"I know what you all are doing here; you're going to try to talk me out of this. You are going to be wasting your breath." She stated thickly, cutting to the chase.

"Heather, I have no idea what so ever of what you have been through. However, I do know for a fact that if you go after them without a plan of attack, if you don't study the situation from every single possible angle that you can think of. You are going to fail, you are going to be deep in their world without a way out, and you are going to make the loss of your family be in vain. I know that your husband died to protect you." Sara stated rising from Gil's lap to kneel in front of her.

"It wasn't fair."

"Loosing someone is never fair. All my life I lived with no one up until Jim adopted me. I had no family, no friends, no nothing. Yet I am still here. You need to think about what you have to do."

"She's right, Heather. If you act now, everything that has happened will mean nothing. Then again, maybe you need to face up to the fact that there is nothing that can be done about this. Going up against them is suicide, especially now. We have no defense against them. We're two humans and two vampires. Hardly a team to go out and face the dangers that these desperate mad-men have put upon our kind." Gil sighed rubbed a hand over his face.

"I'm not a cop anymore, Heather. I have no jurisdiction, no contacts, no way of surveillance. We're literally up the creek without a paddle at this point."

"So I just sit here and do nothing? Sit here and feel useless while my family's death hangs over my shoulders and I have been charged by the council to uphold justice?" She shook her head. "That will not do. I have a mission and I intend to stick by it."

"Look, you can't do this by yourself and you won't listen to us. You expect us to run out there like we have nothing to lose. We've got more to lose than you think for." Gil sighed. "I can't lose Sara, and I can't let her lose me. I may not be with the society anymore, but I'm bound to her."

"She's my daughter, I'm her father. It was the other reason I gave up being a cop so I could be there for her. The case was just icing on the cake."

"I'll do this on my own then."

"What about the society?"

"I'm not allowed back until I complete my mission."

"Then never go back, free yourself from the ties." Gil said slowly. "You can make your own life and never have to worry about the blood packers finding you. Be anonyms."

"Even so, I've still got a duty to perform." She sighed slowly.

"He wouldn't want you to, you know this. I knew him just as well as you did. We grew up together."

"Just go…leave me." Heather pointed to the door. "All of you."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

After leaving Heather's apartment, they all carried a heavy weight on their shoulders. She refused all of their advice and when they tried to get into contact with her the next day she had checked out and left no contact numbers. A couple weeks later they still had heard no word and they sat on their couch discussing it.

"She decided to do what she thought was best for herself. There is nothing we could've done Sara."

"I know, Gil. But it still feels wrong."

"Sometimes honor is more than a means of life and death. I understand her position. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do." He clasped her hands in his. "I love you so much; I'd feel the same honor and responsibility to you."

"Yeah, but it seems a bit much, don't you think?"

"Not at all. It's an honor, a deep seated trust. A love that holds no bounds." He sighed. "It's poetic, and just, and it's how we've always felt. Especially because we mate for life."

She kissed him deeply. "I respect that."

"Mmm…it's been way too long. I want to make love to you…" He sighed and pulled her closer on the couch, merging his lips with hers and tasting her completely and thoroughly. His tongue dipping into her mouth, merging and twining. He pulled her onto his lap and sighed softly, nuzzling the bite marks on her neck as she straddled him a knee on either side of his hips as he leaned back. "You, my dear, are a temptation…soft skin, hints of vanilla and lavender, and a wonderful scent that I could get lost in…"

"Gil…I…"

"I know, I can smell it and it's driving me crazy Sara. I've been awaiting it for the past few days…" He sighed against her neck. "The blood is sweeter, headier…" He then grabbed her hand and pressed it to his groin. "Do you feel me answering you? How much I want you?"

"I don't feel…"

"Desirable? Sara sweetheart, you are desirable in more ways than one. You want me like I want you; need me like I need you. I can feel it, I can taste it. You drive me wild like no one else ever has or will. Bare my mark…" He growled and kissed her hard his fangs jutting out in the process, nicking her lip and he suckled it softly pulling back. "Sorry…"

"It's okay, I'm used to them now." Her hand traveled down his face, the stubble prickling her fingers.

He hefted them both off the couch and started making the trek to their room. "Let me show you how desirable you are…"


	19. Eighteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXxxxxxx

Eighteen

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Her body was on fire as he settled her gently on the bed and started stripping her slowly. Her shirt first followed by her pants in smooth slow motions. She lay there before him in only her bra and panties as he stared at her hungrily, his eyes that bright glowing silver blue flashing to his heart beat as his chest expanded while he sampled the air around them. His low growl of approval told her all she needed to know as he shed his clothes down to his boxers in a slow strip tease meant to entice her.

His shirt was first as he slowly danced to a rolling rhythm, his hips swaying slowly from side to side as his eyes focused on her. Each button went through each housing very, very slowly. When he reached the bottom he turned away from her and let the silk shirt flow down his back and be caught in the curves of both his elbows before turning around to face her once more.

Her eyes caught the sight of his flesh as it caught the soft glow of the candle light, his strong chest and broad shoulders, and that gold cross dangling between his pictorials as he finally relinquished the shirt and tossed it to her. She caught it easily and breathed in his scent that was coating the grey fabric and heard his rumbling purr as he unbuckled his belt.

The soft clinks echoed in the room along with their heavy breathing as he slid the belt through the buckle and the end tinkled against the metal as he drew it through each of its housings and tossed it aside with a soft thump on the floor. Sara didn't think she could get more aroused than at that single moment where he started to unbutton and unzip his pants in a very slow fashion. The long slow drag of the zipper echoed in the room as he turned away from her and scooted back dropping his pants in one slow glide and kicking them aside.

As he turned back to face her, she saw the impressive tent he was pitching and slowly moved herself backwards on the bed, beckoning him to come forward and join her.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

He didn't know where the courage came from to start his strip tease, but as he looked at her on his bed in her cream colored lacy bra and panties, an urge came over him to show her…show her a part of himself that he'd never shown anyone else. He looked into her eyes and witnessed the burning hunger there, breathed in her desire and the sweet smell of blood pooling between her thighs. He knew that most normal men would be squeamish at the thought, but he was not a normal man. He wanted it…

Working his shirt off slowly; he flexed his muscles and rolled his hips in his sexual dance turning and tumbling, all the while breathing deeply of the combined scents in the room. It was enough to drive anyone insane. Turning, he tossed the shirt at her and watched as she breathed in his scent that coated the fabric and rumbled in approval as he started to slowly unbuckle his belt, sliding it slowly through its housings in his pants and tossing it aside.

Rolling his hips again, he swiveled them as he turned around and undid his pants slowly letting them fall down and kicking them aside. He watched her as she slid back on the bed, beckoning him with her hand to come and join her. He could not refuse, especially with the hunger in her eyes.

Gil prowled up to her like an animal, on all fours and very slowly. Sliding her legs apart and lying between them, grinding against her gently and growling with the effort to stay focused and not take her in that moment. "I so need you…" He trailed his fangs up her neck in a gentle caress.

He felt her hands glide into his hair as he nibbled gently, licked and suckled around the puncture marks he'd made before. "I need you too…" She whimpered in reply as her nails dug into his shoulders and raked down his back. "Please, baby."

His hands traced around her sides and unclasped her bra in the front, tossing it over his shoulder as he went to work slowly pleasuring her. Licking and suckling, teasing and tasting, nipping and biting. She was sweet to him like honey and essential to him as air. He rolled his tongue around the taut bud slowly and repeated the action on the other trailing down and dipping his tongue in her belly button, swirling his tongue as his hands slowly dipped into the waistband of her panties and drew them slowly down her legs. He reached in between them to remove the tampon as well, seeing the trash can in the corner of his eye he tossed it in and then spread her wide seeing the first trail of crimson.

"The sheets…"

"Can be washed." He murmured against her flesh as he took the first taste of her. Sweeter than he imagined and hotter than fire as he nuzzled her gently his body taut with arousal and he knew he wouldn't be able to last long. He tongued her slowly, drinking as much as he could…licking his lips and then stripping his boxers off and entering her in one smooth stroke feeling her legs cling to him as he raised up on his arms and started to rock into her.

"Oh yes…Gil…GOD!" He heard her choke out as he continued to pound into her, his body on fire as he rested his head between the cradle of her neck and shoulder, riding out her orgasm feeling it wash over her. He felt her teeth dig into his shoulder and it was all lost as he followed her into oblivion, calling out her name and collapsing…he continued to roll his hips in circles, rolling them over as he watched her start to ride him.

She was beautiful, her chocolate eyes looking down at him, bright and hungry…a true goddess as he gripped her hips and heaved into her, a second orgasm rocking through them both as they rolled and tumbled. "Sa-sa-sa-ra…Oh Fuck!"

They finally lay spent on the silk sheets as his forehead connected with hers. "Feel better?"

"Mmm, it's a great cure for cramps." She smiled dreamily.

"I feel so used."

She swatted him playfully on the shoulder. "And you're in charge of clean up for that comment."

"The things I do for love."

XXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

She was nervous and definitely apprehensive about this type of attention because the other men that she was with never wanted to deal with the aspect of feminine issues. Gil however was a different story. She tried to stall but as soon as he started to gently tease her folds with his tongue and fangs, she lost all thought and gave into the pleasure he was giving her. Finding herself more aroused than she ever thought she could be and he was gently nuzzling her and drinking deeply from her. It was erotic as sin to see him looking at her though hooded eyes and licking the blood of his lips with a quiet hum of pleasure.

She then lost a few moments in time as he seemed to dematerialize his boxers off and sink deeply into her. Hot and hard between her thighs and the slickness of her grip only added to the pleasure as he advanced and retreated in quick succession as they rolled around on the bed feeling, touching, tasting. Soon she came in a blast of starburst and bright light dancing behind her eyes as he rolled them over, his hips rolling in circles as she started to ride him hard wanting that next orgasm as much as she wanted the last one.

This time the waves crashed over her slowly and they settled as he gently separated himself from her.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Jim tossed his keys to the table next to the door as he shut it behind him with his foot and looked down at his mail as he walked into his apartment. It had been a long day of grading tests and other assorted assignments as he settled into his arm chair and sorted through the assorted bills until he came across a enveloped letter that had no address just his name.

Opening it, he found a piece of paper with handwriting he'd always recognize…

_**Jim,**_

_**I know that things were very awkward between us in the past after I disappeared but I had no choice. I have no choice again. I know that John wouldn't want me to and I have accepted that now and have decided to disappear and find a new life for myself even though I'm sure you wouldn't have wanted that either. You see, my life has been fairly complicated, always has, always will be just as long as there are people who are after me out there in the world. These people will not stop until we are dead. Even though I can't do much to help now, I know that someday I'll be useful. Don't look for me, don't wait for me…it's better this way. Maybe someday we'll run into each other on better terms, but until then be safe.**_

_**Heather**_

Jim sighed as he placed the letter back in the envelope and tossed it to his coffee table. Maybe this time she'd stay gone and save him the heartache he felt when she first walked out of his life all those years ago.

X X

_"You said you needed help, that's what I'm here for." He shouted at her, the rain pouring over both of them as he gripped her shoulders hard. _

_"You can't help me, Jim. There's nothing you can do anyway. Case is closed, no more investigation, and you put in your two weeks notice. What would you hope to accomplish?" Her eyes met his with a fire he'd never seen before. His hand glided to her cheek._

_"Don't you feel it?"_

_"I'm, I can't. It's not possible…" She trailed off and gently pushed his hand aside. "I'm not allowed to."_

_"And what about what you want?" He moved closer. "We've been dancing around each other for months; we saved one another, watched out for each other. Are you just going to let that drop?"_

_"What other choice do I have? You're not my species, it's wrong on so many levels." Heather shook her head and turned away. "I'd be banished."_

_"What's more important to you?"_

_"John, it's too soon. I will not let myself." _

_He turned her to face him, staring into her eyes and leaning in touching his lips to hers. "I'll wait for you." _

_"Don't, it won't change a thing." She placed a hand on the side of his face, tracing his lower lip with her thumb. "Goodbye."_

X X

Grunting he heaved himself up and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and heat up some left over Chinese that he'd ordered the night before. It was going to be a long day, he was sure of it.

XXXXXXxxxxxxxx

It was much later in the morning when Gil and Sara decided to finally make their way out of bed and into the kitchen for breakfast after their morning ritual. Showered, dressed, and teeth brushed later they were standing in front of the stove whisking eggs in a bowl getting them ready to pour into the hot pan to make scrambled eggs. He was standing behind her, holding her hands in the correct positions, guiding her movements as they both poured the eggs and he grabbed the spatula and started to toss them slowly.

"Mmm, this is turning out to be a very good day." He whispered softly, nuzzling her neck and breathing in their combined scents. "What do you want to do tonight?"

"I can't do anything tonight, baby. I've got to work." She grumbled softly, enjoying his attentions. "Besides, we've got all day since I don't have any classes, that and well I promised Catherine and Warrick that I'd go to the mall with them before shift tonight."

"Mmm, that sounds delightful." He poured the eggs onto a deep glass dish and set them aside, starting to butter some bread to make stove toast. "I regret that I can't come with you."

"Gil..."

"I know that you really don't mind, Sara. But it bothers me sometimes that I'm not a normal man and I cannot go with you where you wish to go." Shaking his head, he turned the toast. "It's my mind that keeps me from fully accepting those truths."

She hugged him from behind and placed her head between his shoulder blades kissing his spine. "I love you, Gil. Nothing is ever going to change that. I'd be happy walking with you in the moonlight just as well as the sunlight. You make me happy, not the sun. Besides, you can go out on cloudy days can't you?"

"Yes, I can. It's direct sunlight that is inhibiting."

"Well, you can come with us today, it's raining." She chuckled softly.

"And what if the sun comes out?"

"That's what they make umbrellas for. Have you ever tried sun screen?" She laughed.

"No. Unfortunately they don't make one strong enough. It's a nice idea, though." He smiled with her and kissed her hungrily. "I'm going to need you after breakfast if you're ready for me."

"I'm always ready for you, lover."

He shivered with delight as she pinched his ass. He watched as she sauntered by slowly with the eggs and a couple of forks as he finished off the toast, spreading grape jelly on both slices and walking behind her as she set the plate on the table. They took their seats respectively, him pulling out hers for her to sit and then him being seated afterwards. She then proceeded to grab a forkful of eggs and bring it to her mouth when he stopped her waggling his finger at her slowly and bringing his own fork to her mouth.

"You know I always get to feed you sweetheart."

"Old habits die hard." She smirked as she took the eggs from his fork and sighed, chewing thoughtfully. She then reciprocated the action and gave him his own forkful.

The rest of the plateful disappeared in small bites and beautiful, soulful, kisses that made both of their toes curl. As the dishes were cleared and washed, the cups of coffee consumed, they settled into the couch, him facing her as he put her hair up in a ponytail. "Relaxed sweetheart?"

"Mmm, very. I've had amazing sex; I've been fed graciously, pampered and massaged. It's your turn." She laughed lightly, tilting her head to the side, his bite marks coming into view.

He growled lightly, his eyes glowing brightly as he leaned in and his fangs elongated, dragging softly against her neck. Gil eased her against his body, priming her neck for his bite, licking and nipping sweetly. "Deep breath, honey."

Feeling her take that breath, he plunged quickly, sinking his fangs in and taking the first deep drawl from her vein and groaning happily. A few more suckles later a knock interrupted their intimate moment. But Sara held his head to her neck as she shouted.

"Yeah?"

"It's Jim, I need to talk..."

"Um, You're going to have to wait about two or three more minutes. Gil's feeding right now...Unless you want to cover your eyes and come in."

"I'll wait, come and let me in when you're done."

He tried to pull back again, but she held him steady. "I know you're not done, baby. He said he'd wait." Her fingers gently danced through his hair as he took a few last small pulls and gently easing back, licking the marks closed and nuzzling them softly. "Alright big guy, you relax and get your bearings, I'll go let Jim in. Lick your lips, you got some blood."

She watched his dazed nod as he slowly licked his lips, his fangs receding as he watched her through lidded eyes as she picked up one of the cookies and started to munch. Making her way to the door, she looked at Jim's clenched expression as he held what appeared to be a letter in his clenched fist.

"Jim, you okay?"

"She disappeared again." He shook his head handing her the crumpled paper and striding in to sit in the chair adjacent to the couch.

Sara sat down next to Gil as he leaned in her lap, still a little dazed from his feeding sighing contently as she stroked his graying curls. She started reading the words on the page and her expression looked grim. Jim's voice broke her out of her haze.

"What's wrong with Gil?"

"Hmm, oh nothing. He's digesting...I'm still getting used to it. I'm not going to give you the details, but the first time was kinda strange and it scared me, but he rests for a little bit to gain his bearings. He'll be okay in another five to ten minutes."

Jim nodded. "I've always been just a tad curious."

"Because of Heather?"

He nodded slowly, unsure if he should be discussing this with his daughter. "She wouldn't let me help her."

"The society frowns upon human/vampire relationships." Gil spoke up gruffly. "That and her mate had just been killed...it's hard for us to move on when we take so much pride in our married lives."

"Welcome back to reality." Jim chuckled.

"Thanks." Gil smiled back getting ready to move off her lap, but she held fast and continued to run her hands through his hair. "Sara, we've got company."

"It's okay, just as long as you aren't eating face I'm alright."

They both smiled. "So, did she contact you?"

Sara held the note in front of his face as he read it over. "Well, at least she hasn't done anything rash yet."

"She disappeared!"

"Common defense against the blood packers. After I was attacked in London, I relocated several times before I found a proper place of residence." Gil rubbed a palm over his face. "I finally came here when I was sure that they weren't around this area. My guess is that since the society has been relocating to different areas, as according to Heather, the blood packers have been splitting into groups and hunting again. They'd been quiet for a long time; we'd thought that the last of them had finally gone insane. Well, that wasn't the case."

"So what are we to do now? Heather is out there somewhere and, it's just not right."

"I don't know what to tell you. If she's disappeared and it took her twenty years to resurface, I wouldn't count on her showing up again any time soon. We know how to blend in and she's probably miles away by now." This time when he leaned up Sara didn't hold him back as he moved towards Jim, placing a hand on his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."


	20. Ninteen

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Nineteen

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Gil sat in the booth away from the window as the sun waxed and waned behind the clouds. Luck wasn't always with him, it seemed, as he breathed a deep sigh and felt Sara sit next to him while Warrick and Catherine took the seat opposite them.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"The sun's out." He whispered gently. "Luck is never on my side, as it were."

"Eat. We'll just make sure to keep you covered as we go find the car. You can sit in the alcove while I go get it." She pressed her palm against his shoulder. "Cheer up."

"I'm cheery, just as long as I'm with you." He kissed her gently with an underlying urgency. A throat cleared in the midst of their passion and they separated quickly blushing brightly.

"As beautiful as the reunion is, front row seats are not needed." Warrick laughed. "So you still workin' tonight, Sara?"

"Yep, usual shift." She smiled and popped a fry in her mouth. "Nick is quite the slave driver."

They all laughed. "He treats you well, how's the apartment?"

"I cut the lease a month ago. I'm living with Gil now…but I don't want to quit, I like working."

Catherine gave a knowing smile. "And you didn't call me and tell me, shame on you!"

"I don't play into gossip, Cath. Let's just leave it at that." She started to pick up her fork when there was a piece of her fish already in front of her. Chuckling she accepted it gratefully and sighed.

"Do you ever get to feed yourself anymore?"

"No…it's fun though, I've never had anyone pay this much attention to me. I like being spoiled." She laughed at Catherine's expression as she turned to Warrick. He looked like a deer stuck in headlights as he reached over and picked up her sandwich and held it out to her.

"You're starting a trend baby." Sara laughed.

"I'm just doing what I've always done, Sara. I am not ashamed of my actions and I will not hide them." He smiled and cut another piece of her fish and dipped it into some tartar sauce.

The rest of the meal was finished in relative silence with a few questions inserted here and there. By the time they had to leave it had clouded up once more, to Gil's relief, and they were able to make the trek from the mall towards the parking lot without any serious injuries. He took her hand and smiled as he backed out of the parking lot. "Today was wonderful."

"Yes it was, extremely wonderful."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Shift was busier than usual, a college night and Sara fought to stay on her feet as she continued to dish out drinks and serve food. After a lot of dinner invitations and business cards, she was saved by Nick telling her it was break time and she sat with a bowl of vegetable soup and some bread sticks.

"Did it hurt?" Came a gruff voice beside her and she didn't look up, just turned the man out…

"Hello…"

Finally she looked up at the kid, probably no more than 20 with a deep tan and black hair, his eyes were an emerald green. "What? I'm on my break."

"Did it hurt?"

"Lemme guess, when I fell from heaven, right? I'm sorry, but I'm in a relationship. Find someone else to nab with your pickup lines." She sighed tiredly. "It's been a long night, and I'm sorry."

The young boy nodded and gave a soft smile. "No hard feelings…" Then quietly slipped away into the slew of students.

A few minutes later there was a clink of a plate in front of her and she looked up to see Greg taking a seat across from her.

"You okay?" He asked with concern tinting his voice.

"I'm just tired. I've got to finish this shift, then I've got finals tomorrow…I've also got to call and check up on Jim since he's been a little off lately. I don't know; it's all strange here lately." She shrugged offhandedly.

"When's the last time you had a day off?"

"I get two days off a week."

"I mean on your regular work schedule? About what, a month or so ago when Gil had to practically drag you out?" Greg smiled. "I mean, Sara…you've got a man willing to take care of you and I know you don't have an apartment to take care of anymore."

"Greg…"

"Cath told me, I didn't ask either, she just told me."

"I just want to have my own money. Nothing for me is ever concrete; you've known me long enough to know this Greg."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes, I do. It's strange really, we've only been together for about three or so months, but I do love him." Her eyes caught a heady glow. "I just don't want to get my hopes up."

"He treats you like a princess, Sara. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth is all I'm saying."

She nodded and sighed as Greg got up and let her finish eating, then strong arms clasped on her shoulders, kneading the muscles gently.

"You're really tense tonight, honey. Everything okay?" Came the husky baritone of the man that was on her mind.

"Long night." She answered softly. "The college craze, then I have to get up early tomorrow for finals. I'm wiped."

She felt the pressure increase on her shoulders and his thumbs applying pressure right where she needed it along the base of her neck. After a few moments she could no longer contain her quiet moans.

"Feel better?"

"Very much so. Did you check on Jim?"

"Yeah, I did. I went by before I came here. He's doing okay, but he's still upset."

"I know; I haven't seen him look that melancholy in a very long time." She turned to face him. "I think that he loves her."

"Yeah, I can sense it. He also feels betrayed in a way."

"That she left?"

"That she came into his life after a long absence and he was forced to relive the feelings that he thought he'd left behind those years ago." Gil responded mildly with a slight frown. "Over a hundred years of marriage is something that can't be tossed aside over night. Jim understands, but he just wishes that he could be there for her."

"I see." She shook her head. "I've got to get back to work."

"Do you really have to, Sara? You can barely stand now."

"Gil, shift is over in forty-five minutes. After that, I can come home and get some sleep before finals." She placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed the smooth surface. "I'll see you at home."

He leaned in and kissed her hungrily, his lips molding to hers in an achingly sweet symphony. "I'll be waiting for you…"

His growl sent a shiver up her spine as he kissed her one last time and started to walk away. Sara was standing there in a daze for a few minutes until she finally got her bearings and took her dishes to the kitchen.

"Sara! Order of fries to table twelve!"

"Coming."

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Soft piano music was the first thing she heard as she opened the door and toed off her shoes, kicking them under the coffee table as she pushed the door shut with her elbow. Sliding her coat off her shoulders, she hung it on the hook next to the door and started to make her way down the stairs towards the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, she checked the drawers for anything and found an orange in the corner. Popping the drawer shut and then bumping the door with her hip, she took the orange to the center isle and started peeling it. After a few minutes, she felt hands over top of hers, pulling them away from the orange as she watched him grab the pairing blade from the knife holder and start slicing off the rind.

"You're a little late, my dear. I was beginning to worry." He kissed up the slope of her neck, keeping an ever watchful eye on the fruit he was carefully preparing for her consumption. "I've drawn you a bath, put clean sheets on the bed, and was waiting until bed to turn the dryer on so that you'll have a warm shirt for bed just like you like it."

She watched his hands as they separated the fruit delicately and eased a slice up to her mouth. She took it gratefully, a small drizzle of juice sliding out between her closed lips. A second later, the knife was forgotten on the counter as he turned her face gently with his palm and his tongue traced the path of juice back towards her mouth, dipping in gently. Her body tightened and she groaned in pure pleasure as he swirled his tongue around hers slowly, reverently. The orange in her mouth mixing with his unique flavor, the combined essence dancing the tango between their tongues.

He released her slowly, pulling another piece of the fruit towards her mouth, but then teasing her as he set it between his teeth and leaned forward. Sara took it in stride and leaned forward, fusing their lips together and both of them swirling the piece of fruit around before she bit it in half and used her tongue to shove the other half towards him.

"You know…" She sighed huskily after breaking their heated embrace. "Before I met you I would've never thought of this as foreplay."

"Mmm…just looking into your eyes and I find myself needing you…" He sighed, placing his forehead against hers. "Let us finish and then into the bath with you before the water gets cold."

"I'll eat to that."

He smiled.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

A little while later they both slipped between the sheets and she sighed as he pulled her closer to him. His hands traced up her body and cupped her breasts softly, feeling her soft skin underneath his hands, nipping gently on her neck.

"You too tired?" He rumbled slowly, affectionately.

"No…" She answered softly.

He gently rolled her to her back and settled on top of her gently, his warmth seeping into her. His lips connected with hers in slow sensual caresses, a sweet dance of lips and tongue, teasing and retracting. Gil stroked her from shoulder to the underside of her thigh, hitching his hand underneath her knee and pulling it around his waist so he could press his arousal against her. They both groaned quietly as he rubbed gently, his other hand repeating the action with her other leg, her legs wrapping around him automatically as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Slick and hot, honey…wet and snug…" He groaned. "You're so beautiful, so graceful, so stunning. You always seem to take my breath away."

He lifted a bit and started rubbing the underside against her, coating it. Slowly and surely he slid himself against her, the head popping her clit just right on the up and down strokes.

"Gil…Oh yes…"

"What do I feel like, Sara?"

"Hard, hot, thick…" She groaned as he slid against her, her head writhing backwards and forth on the pillow. "Need you…"

Her hands traced through his hair and he grunted as she pulled a little too hard. He kissed her deeply, his tongue mimicking the act of penetration as he slowly thrust against her, slick and sure, and felt her slight shivers as she came to a slow and shallow orgasm.

"One…"

"And you?" She asked breathlessly squeezing her legs tighter around him and grinding up against him, coating him with a new wave of her juices. He groaned and settled atop her, rocking his hips.

"I'd prefer to come inside you…"

"There's time for that…I want to feel it."

"Oh, God Sara…" He stroked against her, keeping his slow pace as he pressed her face to his neck. "Bite me…"

Without warning she sunk her teeth right into his neck, feeling his groan under her mouth and then feeling the hot spurts of his climax between their bellies. She came again at the feeling; he was still hard between them, thrusting happily.

"Inside me…please…" She gasped and he quickly joined them answering her gasp with one of his own as she laved the marks on his neck over with her tongue.

His rhythm was still slow as he held her close with every thrust of his hips. Her nails slowly raked down his back as he continued the torturously slow pace…he felt her walls flutter around him and succumbed to his second orgasm as she had her third.

"Is this a vampire perk, Gil?" She gasped as he filled her, his hips still moving slowly. "You're still hard…Oh yes…"

"Why…do you…ask?" He groaned as he bucked a bit, feeling her shudder again; his head tilting down so that he could clasp a nipple into his mouth.

She gasped sharply. "Because that's twice…you've come…Harder!"

He let her nipple go with a pop and leaned up on his arms.

"Oh…Sara, please…Oh yes, so slick…so wet, so tight…God Yes!" He panted as he picked up the pace. "I don't…know about… perk, but I've been known to come multiple times." He sighed again and gasped kissing her gently. "I don't…know about…other males…"

"I guess…that makes me…lucky…then…Yes!"

Soon the time for talking was over and all that filled the room was moans, groans, and the sounds of flesh against flesh…he came first, his body going taut with the sensation as he continued to pump into her, his pubic bone meeting her clit as he swiveled against her in slow circles. After a few more moments he felt her as she shuddered and cried out his name her nails slowly digging into his scalp as she pulled his face down to hers in a very sensual kiss.

"My God, you are so addictive…" She babbled.

"The same could be said about you…" He gasped for breath and nuzzled her neck. "Oh honey…"

Gil tried to lift himself off of her but she wouldn't let him move as she tightened herself around him. "Please stay…you feel so good…"

"I'm too heavy."

"No you're not…" She sighed contentedly, her fingers tracing random patterns on his back.

He nodded against her shoulder. "Tell me when you're uncomfortable…"

"I will…"


	21. Twenty

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The smell of coffee tickled her senses as she slowly came awake and looked at the clock, blinking to try and ease the fuzziness. 6:30 a.m. Finals would be starting in about an hour. One thought crossed her brain, Shit...

Forcing herself to climb out of bed and make her way to the shower, she grumbled at the slight chill to her naked body remembering how she had fell asleep cocooned in Gil's warmth as he rested atop her. Adjusting the water, she flicked the switch to transfer the flow from the spout to the shower head and climbed in, letting the steam bring her to full wakefulness.

A little while later she found herself wrapped in a towel rummaging through her clothes to find something decent to wear when a set of arms wrapped around her from behind.

"Morning honey." Came the husky drawl and a warm kiss to the side of her neck.

"You forgot to wake me; I'm going to be late." She huffed a laugh as he started nuzzling her. "That tickles."

"Mmm...I'm sorry. You just looked so peaceful. I have coffee and breakfast in the kitchen, eat quick and I'll drive you."

"The sun..."

"My windows are the same glass as the ones in the house, the car is in the garage and I'm just going to be driving you, I don't have to get out." He turned her around. "Wear the purple top."

"Gilbert..."

"Now, now Sara. Let me take care of you. We'll be out of here and to your college before it's time for your test. I promise."

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Breakfast went by without a hitch and they found themselves inside the car driving towards her college.

"So what time do you think you'll be done?" He asked.

"I don't know; it'll probably take a few hours. I'll call you when I'm finished, that way you can come get me."

"That works for me." He smiled as he made the turn and pulled up towards the front. Putting the car in park he leaned over and gave her a long, passionate kiss. "You're going to do great, honey. Don't worry."

"It's easy for you to say."

"Sara..." He stated softly, taking her hand in his. "I have never met a woman that holds so much intelligence as you do. And that's saying a lot seeing as I've been around for over two centuries."

She blushed. "That's a little biased."

"That's the truth, my dear. See you soon."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Jim had just hung up the phone after talking with Gil for a little while and decided that there was nothing edible in his house so he'd have to venture out to the grocery store. A trip he'd been putting of for as long as possible, because quite frankly, he hated grocery shopping.

Settling on a pair of jeans and a faded blue tee shirt, he grabbed a light coat and grabbed his keys from the table closest to the door as he made his way out. Making sure the door was locked behind him; he clicked the remote on his pickup truck and started making his way towards his destination.

Taking the back way out, he found the store with ease and made great time to park in the front row. Sighing he popped his door and started to make his way out when there was a sudden pain in his side and his world went black...

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

After hanging up with Jim, Gil made himself busy with current research on decompositions and insect activity. The research was proving very fruitful to his next experiment and article that was due in the next few months. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and walked towards the kitchen. The unusual sleep schedule he'd been keeping screwed with his body to the point he felt himself needing to feed twice as much. It unnerved him. He slept when Sara slept, and was awake when she was. Daytime wakefulness was a real no, no. He was feeling the tension in his body, the protesting very evident as he pulled some raw hamburger out of his refrigerator and started to drain the blood into a cup.

Truthfully, Gil was a bit unnerved at Jim's melancholy as of late. Something was off and he intended to find out. Heather's disappearance had struck a nerve and it wasn't a pleasant one. It seemed as though she'd dropped off the face of the planet, Jim had exhausted all of his police contacts to find her and came up empty. Gil had told him not to draw attention, the blood packers had contacts too and that was what he was dreadfully afraid of. Blood packers can blend in with regular society and keep a low profile just to find what they're looking for. It's how they found him, and how they found Heather and John's daughter.

He was broke out of his musing by the ringing of his phone as finished the cup of blood and washed it out thoroughly. Drying his hands, he picked up the phone and heard Sara's voice on the other end.

"Are you ready for me to pick you up?"

"Yep. How's Jim doing, I know you called him." He could hear her worry.

"He's a little better than he was, but still feeling the after effects. I think it hit him hard this time."

"Well, it's going to be spring break pretty soon and he'll have a couple weeks to regain some of his bearings I hope."

"I'll be over in fifteen."

"I'll be waiting."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

His head hurt, his body ached, and he was very disorientated as he started to come to wakefulness. A sound started to hit his ears, but he still hadn't gained full auditory as he looked at the darkness in front of him. Thick like a blanket, pure blackness, he thought he'd gone blind until a single candle was lit in the corner of the room, illuminating a man in front of him. A man that he'd worked with for over twenty years. One thought came to mind as he heard his voice...Son of a bitch.

"Ah, James Brass...what a pleasure. I knew from the start you'd be special to the department and to my personal interests." He grinned that grin that always managed to make him sick.

"I'm pretty sure that whomever you've been in contact with has already told you my real name. If not, you can still call me what you know until I give the formal introductions."

"You son of a bitch." A hard slap caught the right side of his face as he spit blood to the side.

"Temper, temper. You're lucky you had me as a boss, you could've been fired for it if it were anyone else." His smile was rotten as he lit the entire room. "Welcome to the sanctum. Pretty soon you'll become one of us."

"Never, you can't force me to do what you want."

"You can never be too careful."

Jim spit at his feet. "I'll tell you nothing, Conrad. I hated you when I was on the force and I hate you now, you despicable fuck."

"Oh don't worry, by the time I'm done with you, you'll tell me every thing I want to know and then some. It's only a matter of time."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara had been home for a few hours and was contemplating the notion of inviting Jim over for dinner when she finally picked up the phone and dialed his home number. Getting nothing on the last ring except for the answering service, she then tried his cell phone...it went directly to voice mail. She was instantly worried, there was no way he'd turn his phone off, not even while it was charging. It was his life line, he always had it.

Making her way to the small office down the hall, she found Gil hovering over a few text books and taking notes as he sat at the small desk in the corner.

"Gil."

"Hmm?"

"I was going to invite Jim to dinner..."

"That sounds good dear, what are we having?" He asked as he turned to face her, then she watched his expression change from happy to deflated as he caught her expression. "What's wrong?"

"He's not answering his cell phone and he always has it with him, he never forgets. It tells me something is wrong."

"He told me he had to go grocery shopping at that little store he usually goes to that's only a few minutes from his apartment, there is no way it would've taken him this long to shop." Gil shook his head and made his way passed her and into the bedroom grabbing some shoes from the closet.

"Are we going to look for him?"

"You bet your ass." He huffed. "I told him to stop looking for Heather and now I bet someone has him."

"What?"

"He was pulling contacts from his old list while he was working homicide division all those years ago; he made a lot of good friends and a lot of healthy contacts. He's been trying to put out an APB on her but I talked him out of it." He shook his head and made his way towards the bathroom.

"What are you saying Gil? That he could've alerted the enemy?"

"In a matter of speaking. Blood packers live like normal humans, cops, corporation dealers, money launders. Most of them don't even have criminal records and always have some position of authority. They work good during the day, but at night they do most of their hunting. I'm afraid one of them has broken the code to find Heather or myself."

"They have a code?" She huffed with a scornful laugh. "Bullshit."

"Even thieves have honor, Sara. These thieves most certainly do because as their numbers diminish, they are vulnerable." He stated factually as he grabbed a light coat and started rushing towards the hall into the kitchen and then up the stairs.

"Gil slow down, please. These men are more than thieves and we are not prepared."

"We can't trust anyone else Sara, that's why I'm going to find Jim. You're staying here."

"I don't believe you!" She yelled at him. "This is the same scenario repeating itself. Don't you see? Heather let John go alone and he's dead both him and their daughter. Heather has nothing left; I'm not going to let you go alone."

"Sara, please this isn't the time."

"No, he's my only family Gil. I'm not letting you go alone and losing you to these psychopathic monsters."

"Sara you're not like me, you're human and unequipped for this. I can't lose you."

She pulled him to her and stared him directly in the eyes. "I won't lose you! I refuse to, Gil. I've finally found the one man I'm destined to love, if I'm not strong enough then let me become so."

"You don't know what you're asking, it's dangerous Sara."

"And what you're doing isn't? Especially alone."

"Sara I..."

She pulled the pairing knife from the block and held it out to him. "Do it..."

"Sara."

"Gilbert Grissom, you take me with you or I swear I'll drain you myself."

Hanging his head in defeat he took the blade from her hand and upturned his wrist. "There is no going back from this and you'll have to feed off me regularly. Are you absolutely sure?"

She took his face between her palms and softly traced his features with her fingertips. "You have given me so much Gil, and I want to be able to stand beside you when you face your demons. If this is the way that it has to be, I'm glad it's going to be you."

With those words they kissed softly and he pulled back bringing the blade down to his wrist and slicing swiftly across the smooth skin. Deep red blood pooled around the wound as he brought it to her mouth. Her lips wrapping around the wound and sucking slowly shot fire all the way down to his groin as her eyes connected with his.

It was as intimate as he could ever remember being and he felt the heat run through him swiftly as he dropped the blade into the sink and pulled her closer to him.

"Harder, Sara..."

The pull that followed almost sent him to his knees, someone feeding off of him never made him feel this way. She was everything he could've hoped for...

After the last moment of gentle suckles he pulled his wrist away and licked it closed, sealing the wound and drew her into a kiss, tasting the tang of his blood in her mouth and her own unique flavor as he pushed her up and shoved her skirt up her thighs and removed her panties making them hang off her foot. He undid the fastenings on his pants so quickly that he thought he'd ripped them in his rush. He felt she was wet and ready for him as he thrust in quickly and continued to thrust.

"Can't stop...so sorry...but need to...Oh Sara!"

"Gil...what's...AH!"

xxxxXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Fire was all she felt when she first tasted him, heated flame through every part of her body ever consuming her. He tasted like a rich red wine and hit her harder than a whole wine cellar full of it. She then felt desire raging through her and settling at her groin as she looked into his silver blue eyes, glazed over with hot lust. Pure unadulterated lust. Sara couldn't understand what was happening to her as they were in a frenzy of shoving clothes aside and joining hastily. He apologized profusely for his rushed and rough actions, but he couldn't stop and as she clung to him she realized that she couldn't either.

He entered her first and then settled her onto the counter behind her as he began a solid and heavy rhythm, his hips gyrating against hers solid heavy thrusts rocking the counter and its contents wildly about. When they both finally achieved release, he gently eased off of her and pulled himself together, helping her as well.

"God...I'm sorry, Sara." He ran a hand through his hair.

"It's fine, I'm pretty sure it's a normal reaction." She smiled as she straightened her clothing and started to head for her purse.

"Strangely, not for me..." He shook his head. "Let's get out of here and go look for Jim."


	22. TwentyOne

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI_

XXXXXXXXXXxxx

Twenty-One

XXXXXXXxxxxxxx

His body was on fire as he remembered very little of what had transpired before. Things were different, very different. The ringing in his ears had finally dissipated to a manageable level so he could hear some of the conversation taking place. His right eye was swollen shut, probably from the last blow he sustained before he lost consciousness.

_XX_

_"You're so loyal to them, those scum." He felt the heat in his face before the blow landed hard, his teeth splitting his upper lip on the follow through. "They are where we should be. Youthful, strong…if we knew their blood had consequences, we would've studied it more gracefully. But my great, great, great grandfather died centuries ago without the technology to figure it out." _

_"Go to hell." _

_"Tsk tsk. Is that anyway to treat me after all I've done for you?"_

_"Bullshit, Ecklie. You used me to get what you want." He spit at his feet, licking his split lip tasting the coppery foulness of it. "A life is a life, no matter what you think. You're killing people to justify your own means and you're running out of people that have your so called 'gift'. Pretty soon you're going to start feeling the effects of your transgression and all I can tell you is that it serves you right you son of a bitch. You're hunting innocent people…"_

_This time he felt the sickening crack as his nose broke under the force of the blow. Blood dripped down his face like a faucet. He only grunted low in protest, he wouldn't give the man in front of him the satisfaction. _

_"These people do not deserve to live."_

_"Why, because you say so? Who died and elected you pope? God even? Who decided you're in charge of who lives and who dies? Fuck you and the jackass you rode in on."_

_"You will learn to respect me." _

_"That will never happen."_

_"I am a prince, was born into royalty. It's been a privilege to serve my country, but only just. When I found out the factions had separated, I could only follow. When I found one of them had come looking for their own, I had no choice but to order the execution. And when I saw you twenty years ago, I knew I couldn't have picked a better man to lead me where I needed to go." His grin was wicked. "You fell in love with her, and I knew that your heart would outweigh your head. Tell me what you know about the one who got away…tell me where to find her." _

_"Fuck you."_

_That's when his world went black…_

_XX_

"I see you're awake now. Still bleeding a bit too." His smile was sickeningly sweet. "You know, as much as you think I'm enjoying this, I'm not."

"Bastard." A backhand.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll find someway to clean it painfully." His eyes connected with his. "You are on thin ice now, I'd choose your words carefully when addressing me. My name is Sir Benjamin Rice O'Riley, I was born in England around the late seventeen hundreds. I do not know the exact date, because the family in which I live never kept records. By the time I was twenty I had my first taste of forever, and it's been heaven ever since. Only two have escaped my grasp and you've been in contact with both of them. So, we'll start slow…and work our way up."

He uncovered a work station to his left filled with surgical tools, branding irons, and several other torture devices. Jim's eyes narrowed and he never faltered. Internally he wasn't at all prepared for this, but he wasn't about to give up the people that made his life worthwhile. He'd rather die and take the secret with him…

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"Turn left, Gil I see something." Sara's eyes focused on the pickup trucks license plate at the end of the sixth aisle in the parking lot, it was a direct match down to the chrome tires. Now she was really worried. "Park here."

"Sara, stay put." He sighed as she tried to open the door before he could pull into the space.

"I'm sorry, I just want to know…"

"Sara I know, but whatever we see we're not going to be prepared for it and we can't bring in the police because this is out of their league and we don't know who's dirty and who's not." He rubbed his temples. "You're vulnerable right now, Sara. You've had your first taste of our blood and you're going to have to have another dose in a few hours. You shouldn't even be here."

"I have to be here, for him." She turned to face him, her chocolate eyes expressing everything in one fell swoop. He knew then that he couldn't deny her anything.

"Then you stay with me at all costs and you do not move yourself out of my line of sight or smell. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Then stay close and let's explore."

They both exited the car at the same time making their way towards the truck in question and starting their inspection. Opening the truck door, she discovered Jim's cell phone and a blood stain on the passenger side front seat.

"Gil…"

"I see it, Sara. Something isn't right and I think I know what. You have a spare set of keys to this vehicle?"

"Always, I had to drive Jim home from the bar some nights when he was out partying with friends. I didn't mind doing it and after a while he just had me a key made."

"We need to drive this to my townhouse and get it into the garage. We need to look at his from every angle, he's been kidnapped."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

He bit his lip as the poker burned his chest, they'd cut his shirt off him, tasting blood as his teeth ground down into his bottom lip. The pain was unbearable, but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"All you have to do is tell me where they are and all the pain will stop." The pokers end was bright orange, the heat burning his face as he dragged the tip down his cheek slowly.

"Fuck you. You've been searching for God knows what for years. If you haven't found what you're looking for, then maybe it doesn't exist." He spit at his feet. "You've got some nerve, Conrad."

The smack echoed off the walls in the empty room. "No one will ever know. You act so smug, Brass. You always did. You quit the force, there is no one looking for you. I made sure of it. I'm the commanding officer, what I say goes. That smugness is going to be your downfall."

XXXXXxxxxxxxx

"What have you got, Sara? Anything?" He sighed as he looked underneath the back seat, flashlight in hand.

"I've got nothing, Gil. The only thing we've got to go off of is that blood stain in the front seat. Nothing else."

"I don't know if he's still alive, but if anyone has him. It's Benjamin O'Riley, that son of a bitch."

"Who?"

"He is the main leader of the blood packers now. Has been for over a hundred years or so. He is in the family line…I never knew the original creators name, but I know that these men will stop at nothing and Ben has never been one to follow the rules. He'll never stop until he has what he wants. Jim has been around us too much and he must've sensed it."

"I thought you said that drinking vampire blood wouldn't turn us." She raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't, but it causes an unnatural mutation to occur and make you like us in a certain sense. You have to continuously feed off of us to stay healthy. It's a small fail safe to make sure that the blood isn't used for other purposes. In one dose without another feed our blood can be toxic, lethal." He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Our blood is like the fountain of youth. With a nasty side effect."

"Do you think that they are torturing him?" She turned to face him with a quiver in her voice.

"I hate to say this, but there is one thing he's never been…and that's patient. I want to say no, but it wouldn't be the truth. Not telling the truth would hurt you even more then telling it."

"I appreciate your honesty, I just hope that we can find him before something bad happens."

"You and me both, Sara. You and me both." He started walking towards the garage door leading back into the house. "Do you know any of his good friends? His contacts? Maybe they could help us with this."

"I know a few, Jim introduced me to them when they visit over for poker night. They're good guys, I even dated one of them."

"Oh…"

"Gil, we didn't work out. He dated me to win a bet, he lives somewhere else now. But he's a good guy, just a little unorthodox."

"I see. So where are we going to start?"

"Robert Miller, he and Jim worked together for about six years. They were partners and Robert is his right hand man."

"Then we'll start with him. Do you know his number?"

"Wouldn't it be better to do this in person? I mean, you said it yourself, these guys use their positions to their advantage…I mean, what if one of them is a cop? The phone lines wouldn't be safe."

"Yeah, I'm just worried as I know you are."

"Let's go, I know where Robert lives." She moved towards the table to pick up her keys when she got a headache and fell into the couch.

"Sara?"

"I've got a headache." She rubbed her forehead and gritted her teeth. "It feels like someone hit me in the head with a hammer…"

"Hold on, stay seated. You need to feed again…" He moved towards the kitchen and brought the knife with him, slicing his wrist once again and holding it to her mouth. "Hurry Sara. I was afraid of this."

She felt him suck on the wound and bit his hand to control himself, there wasn't the time for what he wanted again and they had to move fast after she was fed.

XxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXX

He felt as the concrete dug into his back as he was tossed into the cold damp room. His shoulder was on fire, his face was burned and bloodied, and he felt it slide down and onto his chest as he leaned against the wall holding his arm.

Long tortured gasps filled the silent air around him, damp and laced with urine and mildew. The room was lit by a single light in the corner, much to dim to see anything of value, but he knew the room was empty as he started to shiver and curl into himself lying on his side.

"Make sure he doesn't get anything to eat, I have an experiment I want to run on him. He'll talk, oh he will talk."

"For your sake, you'd better hope so. Master is getting very irritated with the way things are running around here."

"He'll get over it."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm glad there is a parking garage, Sara. In all of this mess I almost walked out in pure daylight." He shook his head as he rolled around on the fourth floor of it.

"You're worried, just like I am. It's been a long time since you've had people to care about."

"Yes, it has. Jim is like a brother, I can only imagine what that bastard is doing to him."

She pointed to an empty spot between two sports cars. "Park here."

He pulled in smoothly and cut the engine, shaking his head at the parking lots split places where the sunlight shines through. "You may have to do this part alone.

"And what if that man is around? What if this is his job? I heard my father talk about a man once that works here as a senior chief executive officer. He said he hated his guts."

"If he's got Jim, then I doubt he's here."

"There is an umbrella in the trunk. Just as long as direct sunlight doesn't touch you, you should be fine. If anyone asks you've got a skin condition."

"Sounds fair."

XXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"Robert!"

"Sara? Oh my God child it's been ages." The man was in his early fifties with kind green eyes, he looked at Sara and then the man beside him. "And who's this charming fellow? Have you finally found Mr. Right?"

Sara gave a sideways smirk. "I believe I have, but that's not why we're here. We tried your house and your wife said you had to work today."

"What's up?"

"Jim's missing." She said softly.

"Jimmy's missing? Good grief." He rubbed a palm over his face. "He went looking for that woman didn't he?"

"How?"

"He called me up last week and told me about the whole thing, had me do background workup on the pour girl. She doesn't exist before ten years ago. I told him there was some bad apples with that and of course, he doesn't listen to me." He said with a sigh, turning around in his cubicle to type some things up on the computer. "Apparently whatever transactions she made before she left the state were in cash."

Gil and Sara looked at each other. "Heather."

"That's the girl, sweet woman I met her once. But I honestly think that she's in a bad way. Got mixed up with the wrong people on accident and wants to keep Jim out of it. Looks like he got tangled into the mess trying to help her. That was over twenty years ago. Must be back."

"She was for a brief while. Something about her husband came to the forefront."

"She was married before?"

"Her husband was murdered."

"Oh my. Jim did have a soft spot, he must be doing this for personal reasons as well. Had a daughter before he met you. Wasn't even his, belonged to his ex and her lover. Lover didn't want it."

"I know about her."

"He hasn't talked to her in years."

"I know; it was around the time he adopted me."

"If you find him, let me know." He printed off some information for them and handed it to them. "Here's all the information he asked for. I hope it'll do you some good."

"Thanks Robert." They embraced.

"You take care of her, you hear?"

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything otherwise."


	23. TwentyTwo

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI_

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Two

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm not pleased with what you're asking, Rose. What the workers have proposed is not something I'm willing to risk. We don't have very much of the blood left and I need it for my feedings, how little of it I take in." He turned to his mistress with displeasure clearly showing in his eyes. "He's not going to be able to be fully conditioned and with the injuries he's sustained, he'll die."

"But master, surely you want to know the location."

"Of course I do." He cut her off. "But I need him alive and trying to give him the blood to drive him insane would not work. He needs a full vampire to make the transition. Not the leftovers in bags that we have here. He'd die before anything could take place."

"Sir…"

"Leave me."

"But…"

"I said leave me, tell the workers to find another way." He waved his hand.

"Yes master." She bowed and took her leave as he sat there with a glass filled with red.

"Where are you?" The silent question filled the empty space around him as he looked at a map of Nevada. "You cannot be far."

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

"So what are we looking for specifically?" She asked as she passed him a cup of tea.

"The last place, twenty years ago, was an old abandoned warehouse that was being rented out with cash. No name had ever been given, and no one had ever asked." He blew on the surface and took a sip. "I'm worried Sara. There are only a few places where he could be hiding him. And we can't count out his residence. He might have an underground shelter. It would have to be an old home."

"Yeah, but we don't even know who it is yet."

"Well, Robert was kind enough to provide us with the police roster. There is only one man who's absent right now and he's our main suspect." He flopped the folder down on the table to reveal a partial bald headed man with a stern expression in tailored Armani. "Conrad Ecklie…LVPD Police Chief."

"Jim's old boss?"

"I've seen him once before and I didn't believe the bastard lived. I remember it like it was yesterday. Those eyes were full of hatred, and he did have a full head of hair then, however. His humanity is catching up with him since he hasn't been able to feed regularly."

"What do you mean?" Her eyes held a thousand questions even though she only asked one.

"We are in hiding, we have to be or else they will find us. Especially this man." He pointed to the photo. "We used to be safe, Sara. We're peaceful, not like everyone thinks we are. It's disgraceful, unjust, and just plain wrong what they do to us. He is the worst one of them all. He tortured humans to find out where we were, where we lived just to suit his own needs."

"And what do you think is happening to Jim?"

"God only knows, baby." He took her in his arms. "But if I know this man, it's not good. It never is, not when the blood packers are concerned. But what I do know is, that he's going to keep him alive because he needs to find us."

"You and Heather?"

"We're the ones who got away and he always holds a grudge."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

He was suddenly cold as he opened his eyes to find himself wet and shivering.

"Wake up you piece of shit." He felt a swift kick connect with his side. "It's time to go meet your maker, maybe this time you'll talk to him."

Jim wasted no time flipping the man off and getting sucker-punched for it. "Fuck you."

"Awww, now that just hurts my feelings." Came the cold tone he was all too familiar with. "I was going to be nice to you today, give you some breakfast, a bath perhaps?"

"Everything with you has a price, asshole. Why would commodities be any different?"

"I can be a nice man."

"Yeah, for shit that's none of your business." He spit out. "You have a personal vendetta against these people, that's your problem. But I'm not going to be a part of it so you can just go fuck yourself."

Soon he didn't know what hit him as he was being held against the cold concrete wall by his throat.

"They are the scum of the earth, threatening our existence with their freakish nature. Their blood comes with a curse to keep us away, but I will drain them and study their blood. Soon I will have an army and there will be nothing you can do about it."

He felt the pain jar his spine as he hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Let him rot for a while, make sure that he doesn't sleep. I'll be back." With that the door clicked shut leaving Jim crumpled on the floor, his vision fading to black.

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

"I'm tired of hiding here, sooner or later they're going to find us." One of his henchmen sneered, picking up a dagger and throwing it at the dart board in the corner.

"It's the last place anyone would look, why are you so worried. Hardly anybody knows of our existence, and the people who do are not going to call anyone…we can't be touched." Conrad intoned with a dark expression. "We are something people do not want to face, and we hunt what people think are in horror movies. No one is going to touch us because they don't believe."

"You say that now, Conrad. But we have a human amongst us whom is not one of us. You're holding on to him to draw the other 2. I know that there is at least another human involved."

"His adopted daughter." He seethed. "She's with Vincent."

"He's marked her?"

"Thoroughly." He snorted angrily. "It's just another reason why I need to study their blood. They live longer than they should, he's been around for over 200 years. I want to know their secrets and unlock the curse so that the blood is free to use without side effects."

"That would take longer than our lifetime and it would take more resources than we have. Rose is still no closer to giving you an heir. Your throne remains empty."

"My throne is none of your concern, so I suggest you keep yourself in check." His eyes hardened. "Leave me."

"Yes, sire."

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"We have to assume that the address given here is a fake one. This would be an address in the city, a two-story loft perhaps, somewhere for the public eye so he doesn't draw attention to himself." Gil sighed while typing on the laptop in front of him.

"So what are we going to do?"

"First, we're going to pull a map-quest on the address given in the file. It'll probably turn up somewhere in central Vegas."

"Like one of the complexes near a casino?" She asked as she sat a sandwich next to him and had one for herself. Feeling lightheaded, she sat down a little more quickly than she meant to.

"Sara?"

"Dizzy…"

"Time for you to feed again." He shook his head at her, elongating his fangs to drag across his wrist. "You seriously need to tell me when you're feeling these symptoms. It's a sign that you need to drink."

"Are you sure I'm not going to turn into one of you?"

"Yes, Sara. What you've seen in the movies is impossible. What you are going through is the side effect, which is why I was so reluctant to let you drink from me." He sighed, rubbing his temple as he brought his wrist to her mouth. "Sara, it's going to get a lot worse. You're going to start feeling more than just dizziness and flu symptoms. You're going to start to get paranoid; you're going to start hearing things you shouldn't hear…it's like schizophrenia. That's the only way we know how to describe it. If you don't drink from me, you will deteriorate fast."

She looked into his eyes as she drank.

"I will not lose you, Sara. I cannot, I wouldn't be able to bear it." He placed a hand beside her face as she continued to drink. "Promise me that you'll tell me when you feel side effects."

Sara answered his request with a hard pull from his vein and he growled with the intensity of it. The sheer bliss that shot down his spine. Sighing, he pulled his wrist away and licked it closed, wiping her lip with his thumb and placing the digit in her mouth.

Pulling it out with a soft pop, he pulled her in for a kiss.

"I promise…" She whispered against his lips as they met again and again in soft kisses, forgetting the world for just a little while… "Not now…"

"What?"

"Gil, I know I shouldn't, but I feel really guilty doing this…" She huffed against his lips. "I know it's a side effect of our bond and the drinking, but I still feel guilty."

"I know, I do too…Jim's out there and we can't…stop…." He mumbled as his shirt left his shoulders. "Get in front of me and sit on my lap…"

"What?"

"Do it, if we can't stop, then at least I can work while we do." He moaned against her mouth as she shed the rest of her clothes and he shed his, situating her in his lap in front of the laptop on the coffee table in front of them. "Now sit on me and keep a slow rhythm."

She grunted as she let him fill her, then started to rock against him as he typed in the address listed on file.

"What's is showing?" She asked breathlessly, picking up the pace….

"It-it's a ci-i-ty ad-dress…" He grunted against her neck. "Central, near the outskirts. It's listed in his name…"

"Uh-uh-huh…" She panted. "Is there a way that you could do a reverse search, look up his name and see if you can find some property that belongs to him?"

"Let's finish this first…"

He moved the computer to the side of the table and planted her hands in the space it vacated as he rose behind her and dove home. "God Sara, I can't get enough of you…"

"The feeling…is…mutual…" She pressed back into him. "Harder, damnit…"

"Oh YEAH…" He gripped her hips and plowed into her, the wet smacks echoing in the room as well as grunts, groans, and moans. The creaking of the table underneath her added more fuel to the fire as the rhythm increased once more and they both flew over the edge in a long, shuddering release, falling back towards the couch.

"I really hope that this doesn't happen in public one day." She sighed softly and disentangled herself from his embrace. "We really need to find Jim."

"I know, Sara. Side effects can be unexpected at times." He rubbed a hand over his face and brought the computer back towards him, still unnoticing of his state of undress. "There is a data base that I am a member of that has lists of property that have been bought within the last one-hundred years or so. Blood packers are extremely intelligent, that's where a lot of us go wrong is by underestimating them. They'll pass of the residence as a family home. Something that's been inherited over the years."

She reentered the room with one of his oversized shirts and sat next to him, handing him a pair of fresh boxers and a wash rag. "So, what are you going to search for?"

"His real name first." He took the wash rag from her and smiled. "Thanks." Cleaning himself off quickly, he stood up and accepted the green silk and slid them on. "Then if that doesn't work, his new name and see if that pulls up anything."

After typing in a user name and password, he entered the last name of the man in question and skimmed the contents of the residents in the outskirt area of Nevada and the surrounding states, looking for any sign of inherited properties. Several matches came up, but none of them belonged to him. It was time for plan B.

Looking over the police records, he typed in the name and waited for the page to load. There were several more matches, but only one caught his eye. Looking down at the file and then back at the screen. He clicked the page and waited for it to load. Right in front of his eyes, a beautiful 19th century landmark appeared a beautiful 2 story antique white house that had been recently refurbished and was owned by one Conrad Ecklie of the LVPD.

"Got you, you son of a bitch." He smiled wickedly as he turned to make sure the printer was on and pressed the appropriate keys. It was time to go hunting.

XXXXXxxxxxx

"Your task is incomplete, why do you come back to us?"

"I wish to leave, I cannot fill my duty. A wise vampire once told me that going against the blood packers alone is suicide. I cannot avenge John, it is out of my power." She bowed her head.

"You swore your allegiance to him, you were bled to him. And now, you abandon his spirit?" The elder looked down on her, his red eyes hard with impatience.

"No, I do not. It's something that I will never abandon. I know in my heart that trying to beat a dead horse is useless. It's already dead, so why carry on?"

"It is our way."

"Well the way is not how things are done anymore. Sir, I am leaving with or without your approval. The emptiness I feel inside every time I come back here is too much. John lived behind these walls, lived for this society and when our daughter was captured not one of you lifted a finger to help him."

"She was a …"

"Don't say it. She was not a sacrifice, she was OUR daughter. A piece that we can never get back. I lost my mate and my only child when the blood packers decided to follow us. What more do I have to lose? I, Lady Marie Elice Rice, hereby terminate my allegiance to the Society and from this day forward walk the Earth as no more and no less than something human." She turned her eyes to the elder with a coldness she had always felt.

"So be it."

With those final words, she picked up her bags and made her way out into the night. Having no destination in mind, she sat on the bench with her bags and waited for the bus…maybe there would be hope for her, just maybe.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Shivering uncontrollably he turned to his side and curled up in a ball towards the wall to conserve his body heat. His back ached, his head quaked, and all he could conjure up was either dry heaves or copious amounts of stomach acid, the sticky bile leaving a bitter tang in his mouth.

After an hour of testing how long he could hold his breath, dunking him in extremely hot oil, and burning his feet with hot pokers, they tossed him back in the cell with only a small bowl of water and a stale loaf of bread. He lost track of how long he'd been there, but he just continued to block everything out and dealt with the pain.

He thought about how his life had changed over the past 20 years, how much he'd sacrificed and how much he'd gained. It wasn't the first time that he'd thought about what would happen to Sara if something happened to him. Shaking his head slowly, he banished the thoughts from his mind as he heard the doors creak open once more and the light burned his eyes.

"I know you're awake…you ready to give in yet?" He felt the blow connect with his back, knocking the wind out of him. Grunting softly, he didn't even turn over to face him. That's when he felt a searing hot pain all over his body, the instant hot met the frigid air he cursed out loud and was rolled over onto his back.

"Fuckin' bastard."

"Burns doesn't it?" He chuckled. "Chill out and I'll come back to warm you up again."

After those parting words he watched his retreating from as the room was once again cast into darkness. Shivering, he curled back up into a ball and willed himself to sleep, his stomach clenching in pain.


	24. TwentyThree

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI...

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Three

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"So where are we headed, Gil?" She sighed as he turned off onto another dirt road.

"There is a residence out here, very remote, very private and it belongs to the man we're after." He sighed as they hit another pot hole, the car jumping violently as his knee bumped into the bottom part of the console. "If I'm correct, it should be coming up within the next few miles."

"We don't even have a plan of action, let alone any idea that this is the right house. And even so, you said it yourself before, this is suicide."

"What other choice do we have, Sara? Jim may not have that long, especially considering the time that's passed. It's been over a week, who knows what condition he'll be in when we find him." Shaking his head, he continued to look at the houses he passed. "I want you to stay close to me, this is going to be extremely dangerous and you're not completely stable yet."

"You worry too much; I keep telling you I'm fine."

"Your scent says otherwise." He huffed as he made a sharp left.

"Okay…that's just creepy."

"Your scent has changed due to the mutation that's occurring throughout your body."

"I thought you said that I won't turn into a vampire." She looked over at him. "I'm confused."

"No, you won't turn into a vampire. It's genetically impossible. The mutation that is occurring in you is very complex. You are going to go through several changes that prolong your life. Our blood has been the object of study for years because of regenerative capabilities. You're still human, with added qualities. Rapid regeneration, hearing, smell, eyesight. You're like a new and improved version of yourself."

"I see." She shook her head. "And if I don't feed off you regularly, I'll go insane."

"That's the punch-line." Shrugging he turned the wheel and the huge mansion finally came into view. "And this is our stop."

Cutting the engine, he quickly scanned the outside perimeter. "I don't see anything…"

"Shh…just because there is no security out front, doesn't mean that there isn't something going on inside. Having security outside would look suspicious."

"But why?"

"First rule of the society, keep a low profile." Sighing, he pulled the files out of her lap and looked through them. "The best point of entry would be here…the basement is the biggest. There is a window that is just big enough to grant us both access."

"And what do we do when we get inside?"

"Knowing him, he'll have a secret underground room; there are several places he could've added on to this house for a dungeon like effect. Torture chambers…maybe even some medical facilities."

"Medical?"

"Experimental surgeries. That and he wants to keep some of his captures alive for information. Which is what, I'm sure, is happening to Jim."

"He's sick."

"He's partially insane. It's the lack of blood in his supply." Gil looked at her. "Whatever you see in there, however gruesome it may be; I need you to keep a clear head. For your sake, for my sake, and for Jim's sake."

"I'll try. I know that I should expect a lot of blood, possibly even body parts and dead bodies."

"That's only a partial extent to it. What you're about to see will cause even the most strong minded and willed person to come apart at the seams and also lose their lunch." Clasping her hand in his he squeezed gently. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"I didn't come all this way just to turn back now." Sara took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

How long it had been, he didn't know. All he could figure out is that they'd left hours ago. Something about vacation time being over and him being left to rot for a while. Passing in and out of consciousness didn't help his situation one bit. Trying to bring his mind into focus, he didn't know where he was, had no idea what was going to transpire, and couldn't think of anything beyond the tiny room that was most likely going to be his final resting place.

Tucking an arm under his head, he suppressed a shiver and curled back into a ball, hoping to keep some of his body head for the upcoming nights ahead.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

It was strange, extremely strange. Something wasn't right with the situation. The house was completely empty, he could smell it. Everyone that had occupied the house had left, hours ago. Thoughts crossed through his brain as he continued to scan the walls where the book cases resided for some sort of switch.

"Why would they leave the place empty?"

"Sometimes as smart as they are, they are also incapable of seeing every single possibility." He shook his head softly as he found a light switch and flicked it on. "Precisely why we are wearing latex gloves."

She nodded as she felt something under her palm and pushed in…the floor opened beneath them to show a set of stairs in the center of the room. "I think this might lead somewhere."

Clicking on his flashlight, he pointed the beam to the stairs and held her close to him. "Stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, this place gives me the creeps." She pointed to the specimen jars on the shelves. Several things littered the surrounding space. Body parts, eye balls, liver, kidneys, hearts, and several other organs. "What is this?"

"A keepsake room." He answered simply as they started to descend the stairs. "I've never know Ben not to keep a keepsake of his conquests."

Scooting closer to him she clasped his hand in hers. "Let's just find Jim and get out of here in one piece."

"Agreed."

XXXXXXxxxxxx

The halls were like nothing she'd ever seen in person, like something off of a discovery channel special. The walls were solid old fashioned brick, castle like in nature. Definitely something that didn't come with the house. Chains lined the room to the left, blood coating the floor, along with medical tools. Turning her face into Gil's shoulder, she gripped his hand tighter and groaned.

"Sara?"

"I hate this place." She shuddered. "I'm fine, I don't have any side effects right now."

"Okay…" He trailed off. "It looks like there are some cells coming up soon."

"Good…"

"Yeah, I know." He shook his head. "Don't look right, just stay with me and we go straight ahead and make a left."

She nodded and turned her face into his shoulder once more. "I need to stay level headed; I don't need to see this shit."

"I couldn't agree more, not even I want to see it." Taking the desired route, he came up on a section of cells and started opening them. They were empty, and then there was one left on the end. The very end, small and almost overlooked because of its size.

"Last one, Sara."

"Please let this be it."

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

He thought they'd left, he heard foot falls approaching and waited for them to, yet again, do their worst. Until he heard the particular voices outside.

"Last one, Sara."

"Please let this be it…"

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

He heaved the door open, pulling it square off it's hinges and throwing it aside. In the very corner of the dark room they saw him laying there curled up in the fetal position.

"Oh God, Jim!" She started to rush to him only to be stopped by Gil, pointing to something.

"Careful, he's his main prize, this room is rigged."

To the side there were holes in the frame, too small to be detected by the untrained eye, if she would've walked further in, she would've been killed by the small needles that were most likely tipped with poison. Finding something to counter the weight, he pressed it against the floor and pushed down, watching the pins release from their housings and fall with soft pings to the floor. Flashing his light around once more he saw no other threats as they walked towards the crumpled man on the floor.

"Jim…"

"Sara?" His throat was sore, and raw from the abuse.

"We're here Jim, hold tight."

"What…about…"

"They're gone, all of them. We need to get you out of here while we still can."

"Sara…" He coughed violently. "I'm.."

"No, we're going to get you out of here then to a hospital."

"No hospital…if he finds me…"

"Let's just go, Sara." Gil came in to stand beside her, kneeling to pick Jim up off the dirty floor. "We can sort things out when we get him back to our place."

With a quick nod, they quickly started back towards the way they came in, hoping that everything would be gone by then as they closed the grate and made their way to the car. Settling him in the back seat they hopped in and Gil made a quick U turn before following through and gunning it down the dirt road ahead.

"I hope we…"

"Shh…he's going to be alright."

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was starting to get late as she hopped off the bus and stood in front of a place she'd never thought she'd be standing in front of. The car was in the garage, she noticed it from before. Hoping that she was invited, she knocked and smiled softly at Sara who answered the door, and then her face turned into a frown at her expression.

"What are you doing here, Heather?" She asked softly. "Something wrong?"

"I left the society, I was looking for Jim." Her eyes were sad. "He wasn't at his place so I thought I'd try here."

"He's pretty banged up."

At those words, she rushed passed Sara and into the living room seeing the sight before her made her fall to her knees. The clicking of the door shut behind her never even registered. Laying on the couch in a bloodied heap was Jim Brass…and it did not look good.

"My God what happened?"

"Ben happened, Heather." Gil turned to face her, his eyes glowing white with a bit of anger. "He was looking for you."

"I never asked him to."

"Yeah, well you know he doesn't let go easy." Gil continued to wipe off the blood from his face and several cuts that lined his chest. "He found him trying to get to us."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Can't you feel it?" He shook his head. "If we don't get him medical attention, I don't know what his chances are. He refuses to go and I have no means of keeping his identity a secret. Not with all those blood packers floating about."

She watched as he dipped the rag and rung it, she rushed to his side and pulled the rag out of his hands. "What if I?"

"It's not that simple and you know it."

"Gil, I'm probably his only chance at survival. Ben will find him otherwise."

"Ben could probably find us now, even though we were very careful."

Heather gently washed the burns on his face and neck, dipping and ringing the rag once more. "So this is his fate?"

Sara came in to stand beside Gil with tears in her eyes. "I…"

He sighed and bowed his head. "It would have to be his choice, you know this. Right now, he is not well enough to make that choice."

A tear slid down her cheek. "This is what has come to pass for anyone that stands in that monsters way. I may not be over John, but I want to grant him peace from his suffering in the only way that I know how. The only way that I possess."

"And what if he doesn't want to be condemned to that fate? Heather, our blood is dangerous."

"And yet you fed her, marked her, branded her as yours." Her eyes cut into his. "This is my choice."

"She chose amongst her own free will. I did not force her hand." Lifting his eyes to Sara's he then turned back to Heather. "When he wakes and he starts feeling a little better ask him what he wants. If he chooses you then I will not stop what is nature's course. But be wary, you do this and he is bound to you. You cannot walk away."

"I understand."


	25. TwentyFour

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI...

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Four

XXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He still has a fever and now he's got the chills." Sara sighed as she walked towards the kitchen with the thermometer. "I don't like this, Gil. I really don't."

Her hand shook as she placed the instrument on the counter and then banged her hand against it.

"Sara, you need to calm down. You're burning blood faster."

"Calm down! Calm down?! How the fuck do you expect me to do that, Gilbert! My dad may be dying of an infection, we can't take him to the hospital, and you won't let Heather help him! There is nothing I can do about this, god I feel so helpless!" She tried to fight him as he pulled her into his arms, the tears, hot as coals, burned his skin.

"It has to be his choice, Sara. He could hate it later that he was condemned to a fate worse than death." He whispered to her softly, stroking her back. "You accepted it, embraced it. But Jim is a whole different person."

"But how do we help him, Gil? He's…"

"There is a lot that we can do without having antibiotics." He held her closer. "It's going to be alright, Sara."

"It has to be."

"His will is strong. As long as his wounds stay clean, his fever should subside and then we shall see about his choice."

Her eyes connected with his, a single tear trailing down her cheek that he wiped away with his thumb. "I'm sorry."

"It is nature's biological imperative that we worry about our loved ones. You have nothing to be sorry for, my dear. Nothing at all. Cry if that is what you need, lean on me if it is your wish. I am always here for you."

Once again they embraced as the tears soaked through his shirt. It was going to get rougher, he felt the change.

XXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"Damnit! I thought I told you not to leave the house under any circumstances." The blade was pressed to a henchman's throat. "I give you one simple order and you find a way to fuck that up."

"But sire…"

"They found where I live; they found where I keep my prey. You dimwitted idiot. Now, I have lost the one person who could've led me to them. HE was here with his lover, their scent is no longer traceable. I have no idea what his name is now…you are in a lot of trouble." The blade started to draw blood. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slit your throat you ingrate?"

"There was no danger."

The blade cut through the muscle and tissue without fail, the body slumping to the floor effortlessly with a loud and heady 'thump'.

"There is always danger and because of you I have to reevaluate and recalculate my search." He looked at the two men standing by the door. "Get him out of my site and send in Rose. I need some private time."

"Yes your holiness."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Sara had just finished checking on Jim and handing Heather another set of bandages and cloths for her to use as she cared for him in the spare bedroom. Stumbling through the hall, her head started to pound as she finally made her way back towards their room and heaved her way onto the bed. That's where Gil found her.

"Sara! Damnit, how many times do I have to tell you to let me know when you're feeling strange!" He pulled her into his arms and looked into her eyes a little glassed over with pain.

"Sorry, Gil. I was too worried and I just forgot." Her voice was strained as she sighed and looked away. "By the time I knew it had caught up with me. I was too tired to come find you."

"I need to get you fed." He popped his fangs and slid them across his wrist. "Here."

She accepted his offering with gusto as she took deep pulls from him. Her eyes connected with his as she watched him bite his hand while she fed from him. Feeling the tension in his body become the tension in her own. Finally able to move, she released his wrist and watched as he licked it closed, pulling her into a deep embrace.

"It's time for bed."

"Jim…"

"Heather is taking care of him, you need sleep. A full nights rest will help ease the transition."

With a reluctant nod, she let him ease her into bed after undressing her and slipping an oversized tee shirt on. He snuggled under the covers with her and they both eased into a deep slumber, their weariness catching up with them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

The cigarette dangled from his fingertips as he sat naked in the chair while the woman beside him finished dressing.

"This obsession of yours is starting to transfer into just about everything you do accept for this." Her eyes trained on his. "Why don't you just let it go?"

She felt the sting on her face as she licked her split lip, the blow barely moving her face as she returned it taking the heel of her hand and breaking his nose as he slumped to the floor in front of her. "Bitch."

"I'm tired of taking the abuse from you. You know, you really used to be a decent man, an honest man. That is until you got snagged into this bullshit. I want no part of this now and I'm walking out that door and never coming back." She wiped the blood from her face. "Die alone, you bastard. That's what you're best at is being alone."

After kicking him in the side once more she walked out of the room and left him crumpled on the floor holding a rag to his nose. He searched through a desk drawer as soon as he could stand and found his spare gun. She wasn't leaving the house a live, she knew too much.

Wrenching open the door until it banged against the wall beside him, he raced to catch up with her, unheeding in his state of undress, he watched her continue to wall as she shots echoed through the hall and her body fell forward with the force of the blows.

"Someone get down here and clean up this mess, I'm going to bed!"

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

She knew she wasn't entirely welcome by his side, so she took refuge in the chair next to his bedside; ever watchful of his condition. Every now and then he'd mumble and groan incoherently and she'd wince at the pain she felt she'd caused.

Ben that unfeeling monster of a man that did this to someone she cared deeply about, something she thought had died along with the death of John…but it seemed that no matter what she did she could not escape this human man. It was almost enough to make her fulfill that promise she'd made even though she really wanted to break it and flee.

XX

_"You know that I am not always going to be around, Marie." He placed his hands on either side of her face. "Soon the council will be having more difficult missions to attend to, especially because of the blood packers. You nor I can stop this."_

_"Do we really have to talk about his now, John? Our daughter is what's most important and the council will just have to see to that." She sighed and pressed a kiss to his lips "…come to bed."_

_"I want you to promise me something, sweetheart." _

_She shook her head. "John."_

_"No, if anything happens to me, promise me that you will find someone to keep you happy. I don't want you to be alone." He turned to face her. "I couldn't bear you living eternity ever more without someone to keep you company if it cannot be me." _

_"You don't know what you're asking me to do, John. There is no one in the world that I'd want to be with if you're not here. We've been together for over a hundred years. I…"_

_"Promise me, it doesn't have to be right away, it doesn't have to be within five years…but I want you to be with someone so that you are not lonely." _

_"John…"_

_"Promise me…"_

_She turned her face away from him and he gripped her chin and pulled her face back to meet his eyes. "I…"_

_"Promise me, my angel." _

_A tear slid down her cheek that he wiped away with his fingertip. "I promise, for you…for myself…blood to blood." _

_"So be it." _

XX

Coughing beside her brought her out of her memory-induced haze as she shot up out of the chair and sat by his side in an instant, a clean rag pressed to his forehead.

"Shh…stay still, James."

"I must be hallucinating…how bad is my fever?"

She shook the thermometer and stuck it under his tongue. "You're not hallucinating."

He nodded his head once and placed it back on the pillow. The instrument beeped and she pulled it out to look at the display. A small smile crossed her face.

"That bad?"

"That good actually. You're fever has broken, you're only a bit above normal. Ninety-nine point one." She showed him the display. "But you really need to see a doctor."

"He'll find me again to get to you guys."

"We're not out of the woods yet, James. He's probably back to where ever it is that he lives. We have to move quickly if we do not want to be found out. Ben has never been patient and he will kill anyone that stands in his way." Shaking her head she dipped and wrung a washcloth and started to clean his wounds once more, his hand came up to grasp hers.

"Why did you come back?"

"I remember something that John told me over a hundred years ago." She sighed. "It was such a long time ago, before any of this had come to pass."

He rose up slowly and turned on his side, wincing just a bit at the pain, so he could see her better. "What?"

"We had just celebrated our anniversary, a special occasion, and the society paid for our accommodations. He just looked at me and told me that he wasn't going to be around forever and he wanted me to be happy." She traced his face with her fingertips, traced along the burns and scars that marred his features. "I want to say that I'm sorry for this."

"Heather…"

"No. I take the blame for the punishment you received and did not deserve. If it were not for my selfish heart, you wouldn't be in this mess." She closed her eyes to the onslaught of tears that were begging to fall.

"I decided to look for you when you didn't want to be found, I got myself into this mess." He placed his hand on her cheek. "I would've done it again too."

"But…"

"I know that you love John, his memory, his life force. I'm not asking you to forget him…I just want to help you in any way that I can. You are the one who has the choice to make or break me." He took her hand in his and rubbed the underside. "I've never felt this way before, I can honestly say that. I thought the first woman I married was love, but it turned out that it was one sided. She had an affair with someone and had a child…"

"You are a male of great honor and worth, why she would give you up is beyond reason." She shook her head. "I just miss him so much and that is a pain which will not go away. I just know that…"

"Everything is going to be okay."

"I want to give you the choice." She sighed softly. "What Gil and Sara have. To heal your wounds, to help you get stronger…but it's not without a price."

"The correct question is: are you absolutely sure that it's what you want?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't feel it necessary. I would do anything for you and it took me a long time to realize that. I'm not going to make the same mistake a third time."

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

It was his third bus route with a sketch that he'd had a private sketch artist compose for him. It was also a dead end; he knew that she couldn't have gotten far, especially because he was sure that she didn't leave the state or the city for that matter. It was only a matter of time.

"Excuse me sir, have you seen this woman?"

The elderly man looked at the picture and then looked up at him. His eyes were soft and he sighed. "Is she in trouble?"

"No, she's a witness to a horrifying crime and we need to find her before she flees. She's scared and it's natural for her to be so, no one should've seen what she did." He said mildly as he walked up the steps on the fourth bus of the day.

"She was on here for a while, bought a ticket at the station to ride a train…but I guess she changed her mind. Dropped her off on a side street, that was the last I saw of her."

"Thank you, name of the street?"

"Lakeman Avenue."


	26. TwentyFive

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI...

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Five

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxx

**The world had never been so hollow, so twisted, so warped. Blood under her feet where she walked, blood on the walls where she stood. Chains; heavy, metal, hard, thick, and bulky chains kept her to the wall. Her mouth opened in a silent scream against the pain as her leg was bent backwards…her assailant had no face, had no mercy…just an evil laugh that seemed to echo forever. **

**Light around her; light through her, but where ever he stood…darkness. Red orbs gathered around her, smoke filled the air as she struggled to breathe. **

X X

Out of nowhere he felt a jerk beside him as Sara came to full wakefulness, a muffled whimpering sound coming out of her mouth as she covered it with her hand. He pulled her gently to him and rocked her back and forth. Nightmares, he knew it had to be. The fresh scent of fear, tangy and salty wafted out of her pours in vast waves as she struggled to breathe. A new symptom, everything he didn't want her going through.

"Sara, sweetheart."

"I can't breathe." She choked out with hindered breath. "Smoke…"

"It was a dream Sara." He shushed her quietly.

"It felt so real." She shook her head. "I've had nightmares before, but never like this."

"It's another side effect. I told you this was dangerous Sara." He ran his free hand through his hair. "I wish that you didn't have to go through this."

"It'll be worth it to be with you." She snuggled closer into his embrace. "How do you think Jim is?"

"Probably doing better, getting the sleep he needs." He kissed her temple. "Sleep."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxx

"It shouldn't be like this…" She panted against his lips as he devoured hers. "I'm not…but I can't stop."

"Beautiful, just so beautiful. Does it always feel like this?"

Mingled breaths combined in the center, hands roamed, lips caressed, tongues tasted, teeth nipped. It was a whirlwind of power and passion that neither of them had ever remembered feeling so strong. Inside she still felt a bit guilty for her lost love, but when she felt him pull on her wrist…it was more than she could bear. The fire that raced through her veins, his scent hovering in the air…she wanted to drink from him just as he had done from her. The promise she made all those years ago hovering in the back of her mind as she took the plunge and connected his lips with hers once again.

"Heather…don't stop, please don't stop…" He grunted as her lips assaulted his, trying to work her shirt from her body. "Slow down, baby."

"Can't…need…."

"I know what you need…" He whispered huskily in her ear, stilling her body and fighting for his own control. "It's the same thing I need. But I don't want to just take you because of the biological response, I want to love you like you deserve."

"James…" Her eyes lifted to his, glossed over with unshed tears and emotion. "Please…"

His fingers curved around her cheek, caressing the soft, smooth skin with reverence. Gently as if she were a porcelain doll that could be shattered. He felt her hunger that matched his own.

"Let me take care of you…" Jim rolled her underneath his body, the sheets tangling as he settled in the cradle of her thighs. His arousal pressing into the juncture, the heat seeping through their clothing. "When I first saw you that night, you shook something inside of me."

"I was afraid of what I felt for you." She sighed as he kissed her gently, slowly unbuttoning her blouse and slipping it from her shoulders. "Upset at what he made me promise."

He felt her hands trace up his chest as he removed her pants and she removed his. "You don't have to think about that now…I'm here."

Jim kissed her long, hard, and passionately. His tongue wrapping around hers in a sensual dance as he, yet again, spread her legs to lie between them. Sliding in the silky, smooth, and drenched flesh that she provided. She was unbearably wet, as he groaned against her mouth as he bucked against her, coating himself with her essence.

"Please…"

"Birth control…" He managed to grunt out through his haze.

"I'm not fertile, besides it's rare for us to get pregnant." She squeezed his shoulders as he rocked against her, his nostrils flaring, his moan soft and seemingly endless. She watched as he crawled down her body, slowly towards her center and she went taut immediately. She'd heard of this act but it'd never been preformed on her. Members were not allowed to and were never taught to.

Her tenseness stopped him dead in his tracks. "Heather?"

"I've…" She lost her voice as she turned her face away from him. Embarrassed.

"No one's ever done this have they?" He asked softly, taking her hand in his. The tension still thick in the sex-mussed air.

"As part of society, we were never taught the carnal natures of true intimacy. None of us ever had any knowledge of the outside worlds activities. However, as we started to break away and the factions started to migrate, we learned more than we let on. My last regret was that John wanted to try and I didn't concede." A tear trailed down her cheek. "I was afraid and I always thought I'd get another chance."

"Shhh…" He wiped the tear from her cheek. "I wont' do anything that you're not comfortable with."

He started to raise himself away from her, but she held fast and locked eyes with his. "I want to try, I do not wish to have any more regrets."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded once in acceptance as he gently spread her wider and took the first strong taste of her, her soft gentle moan was all the indication he needed as he continued to taste and tease. She was quieter that he imagined she would be. Soft sighs and breathy moans, her eyes started to glow a soft golden color as they watched him in fascination. Her taste was like ocean and fresh rain mixed with a headiness he couldn't identify. It was beautiful, it was right, and it was everything he could've hoped for as his name passed over her lips as she came in a surge of fire. Her fingers combing through his hair.

"Beautiful…" Her eyes shut as she gestured to him. "Now come to me."

She didn't have to ask twice as he surged up and joined his body with hers in an anguished moan. Her heat and her slickness catching him off guard. Hotter than he remembered and more wet than he could tolerate as he slowly started to thrust in and out of her.

"Oh…Heather…dear God in heaven." He arched against her as she gripped his shoulders. Her nails digging into the flesh, causing him to buck harder than he meant to.

"James…harder, need harder…" Her voice echoed and tapered off in a moan as the bed creaked beneath them as he found an even tempo. His body, still not up to par, felt the effects of his repeated motions. Shrugging it off he continued to rock into her, unable to stop, needing the release like he needed air. Needing to feel her clamp down around him like he wanted his next meal.

Struggling to keep up with him, she grasped his hips and created a counter rhythm, rolling her hips and arching higher to take him in deeper. The solid and soft sounds of flesh meeting flesh filled the room and carried on in erotic symphony with their mixed grunts and moans of pleasure and pain.

Starting to feel the fatigue in his shoulder, he rolled them over and she started to ride him as he leaned back against the headboard. He'd never thought he'd get to see a sight like this. She had the body of a goddess, her long hair flowing across her back, tacked to it by a light sheen of sweat, her lips full and swollen by his kisses, and her eyes glowing gold against the darkness.

The next thing he saw made his cock jump as her fangs popped through and he realized that he wasn't scared by the action but aroused. Needing to feel her come more and more he leaned forward and started to suck on the flesh that met between her neck and shoulder. This seemed to be her undoing as he stroked a nipple and his other hand stroked that pearly nub between her thighs.

Her response was immediate as she arched her back and thrust down hard on him, his body feeling every clench and glide as she increased her pace and moaned out his name to the ceiling. He wasn't far behind her as he felt her fangs sink into his neck and a few pulls later she was on her back away from him.

"I'm sorry…" Her eyes were haunted as she reached for the sheet to cover herself, completely out of breath.

He didn't bother to hide, he just held out his hand for her to take. "Nothing to be sorry for. That was amazing."

"But…"

His fingers pressed to her lips as he inched forward. "I'm not afraid, not anymore."

Jim pulled her down to lay beside him as he felt her fingers glide over his chest. "Amazing in so many words…"

"Mmmhmm." He pulled the covers around them and sighed. "I'm going to make a mess…"

"Oh!" She turned to the spot on his neck where she had bit him and licked it closed, nuzzling it with her lips and tongue. "I'm sorry…"

He placed a palm under her chin and turned her eyes to his. "I told you, nothing to be sorry for."

"Goodnight."

"Sleep."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

He thought he had it all figured out as he banged a hand against his desk in frustration. He'd been searching most of the night and still managed to come up empty handed. Vincent didn't seem to exist and he should've expected the man to have changed his name after so long. However, it still unnerved him that there wasn't a trace of the man, not a picture, not a word.

Shoving the chair back, he got up and made his way to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. After the disasters at the manor, he hadn't been back since. His guards were extinguished and Rose was dead. Life seemed to be throwing him in circles and he wanted to know when he could get off the ride.

Running one last search, he finally came across a picture and the face that stared back at him was like déjà-vu. There was a name and an address. Finally things were looking up.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Morning came too quickly for Gil as he gave Sara her morning feeding and grabbed a shower. She was getting really reluctant about making love in the same proximity as her father, but he didn't have the heart to tell her that he was making himself quite at home with Lady Heather. He could hear it and smell it…sometimes those extra senses were both gifts and curses. At that moment in time, it was a curse.

Cracking some eggs into a hot skillet, he started to toss them around with a few spices and toss them around with a fork to get them fluffy. Popping some toast in the toaster, he pulled the butter out of the refrigerator just as Jim and Heather made themselves known.

"I trust you slept well?" He asked with a chuckle in his voice as the pair went crimson.

Jim cleared his throat and gratefully accepted the coffee. "I feel like a million bucks."

"Blood must be working, then." He turned again to the eggs. "I hope that Heather told you about the risks involved."

"It was my choice." He sighed. "My choice completely. I need to be here and I knew what my chances were without any help at all."

Gil nodded while emptying some eggs on a plate. "I hope that it works out for both of you."

"How's Sara?"

"Nightmares are starting; she's in the middle stages at this point." He shook his head, pulling some bacon out and opening the package. "I gave her the morning dose and she's resting comfortably right now. She should be joining us momentarily."

"It's going to be rough, isn't it?" Jim asked as a plate of eggs and toast was set in front of him.

"Yes, it is." Sighing he turned back to the pan. "I will not lie to you, Jim. You're going to be experiencing so much pain and torment that you will, at times, wish that your life would end."

"Wow…either way, I'm fucked huh?" He chuckled. "If it works?"

"Then you'll have a substantial lifetime extension, provided you feed off Heather regularly."

Just then something heady caught his nose and he felt himself react instantly. His eyes slammed shut and he bit his lower lip to keep the moan at bay. It was officially the final stages of the transition, nightmares followed by a deep seated urge to mate continuously. Sara was standing in his proximity, too close for comfort and distracting him immensely with her presence.

"Good morning, Gilbert." She smiled brightly and propped herself up on the counter beside him, giving him a chaste kiss.

He nodded once and turned his attention back to the stove. "Sara."

"Jim, Heather…" She waved at each of them and then gave a shooing motion with her palm. Again they blushed crimson as they pulled their plates off the table and steadfastly made their way out of the kitchen into another part of the house.

Gil suddenly caught the scent in the air, stronger than before and gripped the stove handle tightly, his knuckles going white with the effort. "Sara…"

His voice was harsh and husky as he heard the click of the stove cut off and his gaze met hers. His eyes almost completely white. They slammed together as he forced her into the front of the fridge in a move faster than lightning. Her groans were muffled against his lips as he fought for control…


	27. TwentySix

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI...

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Six

XXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was times like these when he was grateful that he was a cop. He was able to find everything about a person with the upmost discretion and they were none the wiser. His smile stretched from ear to ear and he continued to read the information in front of him. Vincent had been under his nose all along, in the same city, the same town…just miles away from his apartment complex.

His laughter filled the halls as he finished filling his partners in on the plan. He'd bide his time, he'd have to. He'd let them get back to their normal lives, get back to thinking that there was nothing wrong in their little world. Then, when the time seemed right, he'd launch his crew inside and take them all by force. It was time to take things to the end of the line.

Swirling his wine in the stained flute, he took a bit to study the map in front of him once more. It would only be a matter of time.

"Sire, do we really have to wait? It makes me ill that we've wasted so many resources on this project already." Said a nasally voice to the right.

"Then you are a fool." He sneered back at the man. "When you're planning a battle, it may be wise to up and attack your enemy. But when you are planning a war, you do not charge onto enemy lines without a plan. You want to grab them when they least expect it…you want them to have no chance to escape. If we let them resume their lives for a while, without involvement. It could lead to our victory. Vulnerability is the key, watching them let their guards down for only but a moment."

"Your arrogance will be the death of you."

"And your failure to understand the bigger picture will be your undoing." He placed his glass upon the table and turned to him. "Is that all?"

"Yes, Sire."

"Then leave me."

XxxxxxxxxxxxXXXxx

"Sara…what…" He panted against her lips as her nails dug through his scalp and pulled on the salt and pepper strands. His body thrummed to life, pulsed with blood as his heart beat an endless staccato against his sternum. Their bodies moved together in an endless heated rhythm as the refrigerator bounced against the wall with the effort to hold them upright. She'd lost her shirt somewhere on the floor just as he'd lost his. Her hands trailing patterns down her back as he lost himself in the sensation of her lips on his.

"Need you…" She captured his lips continuously, smothering him and causing his breath to snort through his nose. "Can't stop…"

"God Sara, gotta move…"

"Gil…What's?"

"Side effects…" He panted… "Final side effects…"

He scooted back slowly, quickly regaining his balance as she jumped up into his arms, her legs locking around his back as they made their way to the bedroom. As soon as they made it inside he kicked the door shut behind him only for her to unlock her legs from his waist and shove him into it. Passion mounting and curling low, electrically charging the atmosphere.

"Slow down honey…" He sighed softly against her mouth and slowly guided them towards the mattress. "Just slow down."

"Want you…" She huffed as they fell to the bed together. Her hand immediately landed on his groin, squeezing it softly and in rhythm with her accelerating heartbeat. His groan was low and long, her name bunched in his guttural moan.

"Sara…" His body was on fire as he rolled her under him kissing her deeply, hungrily, like a man starving. He settled between her thighs easily, grinding down hard, relieving the pressure on his straining erection, the heat of her searing him, her arousal stunning his senses. They broke for air simultaneously, edging to sweet oblivion. Her hot breath coated his face as he started kissing and suckling the skin on her neck, his fangs tracing against that blue vein as he tasted her skin. That salty sweetness, that beautiful spice full of life.

"Gil…" Her voice was ragged as her fingers threaded through his hair, gripping the strands tightly before releasing. Her legs wrapped around his hips as her tempo countered his own. She rolled him underneath her, and he rolled again until they landed on the floor with a thud, him under her rolling her back beneath him on the carpeted floor.

Laughter echoed through the room only to be silenced by his lips devouring hers once again. He fought with her sweats until he pulled them down her legs, taking her panties with them and her scent hit is nostrils and they flared as he inhaled. Stronger than before combined with his scent sent him reeling. The low lighting in the room catching the dew collecting on her lips and through her curls causing him to groan as she was spread before him, wanton and willing.

"You are a goddess, a feast for the eyes, too beautiful for the animal in me…" He sighed taking a nipple into his mouth and suckling softly, popping his fangs over the tip gently. She arched into him with a keening wail, his name a full edge song to his ears.

"Gil…God yes." Her fingers ran through his hair again as he switched nipples, paying equal attention to both as his hand gently caressed her side and down into the juncture between her legs. He moaned at her softness, heat, and utter wetness. Drenched between her lips, her clit engorged and throbbing as he threaded his fingers through her damp curls, twining them around his fingertips and then rolling back down to catch her nectar, rolling around the taut little bud. Her fingernails digging into his shoulders, leaving little curve shaped marks in their wake as he connected his lips back to hers.

"Oh honey, so wet…so hot, need you." He groaned against her lips as her hand came into contact with his arousal. How he'd lost his pants, he didn't know, it was lost in a haze of tumbling bodies as she rolled them again and he was on his back, her hand going between her thighs and then coating him with her wetness. Stroking him, slick with her own juices, her thumb twirling around the plum head. His eyes went crossed at the feeling, her fingers tickling the underside, the prominent vein that stood proud.

Slick with her musk, he felt her release him as the heaviness of his cock thumped against his belly, her lips spreading overtop to coat him once more as she leaned forward. Her lips connected with his as he felt her rub along him, her clit popping the head as it peeked from underneath its hood. This went on for several moments as he felt her juices start to drip onto his belly, the heat searing and unbelievably arousing as he tried to keep his eyes open and failed miserably.

Primal instincts were starting to take over as he lifted her with ease and pulled her towards his face so he could taste her. His lips, teeth, and tongue diving home as she tried to keep her balance from his onslaught. He easily separated her with his thumbs as he dove for home, his tongue gently tracing the outer lips, circling her clit but not touching as he dived into her opening to taste and tease. Needing more, he traced his fangs in the same matter as he traced his tongue, the mere cry of his name enough to make him throb harder as he finally took mercy and teased her clit with his tongue, gently flicking the bud until she came hard, leaning forward on her hands as he gently eased her from his face and onto his chest. Allowing her to catch her breath.

She surprised him when she started to slide down and grasped him in her hand once more. The fire in her eyes told him all he needed to know and he braced himself for the onslaught, it didn't help. Heat closed around him quickly with the slide of her tongue and the slow drag of her teeth adding pleasurable friction into the mix. She began a slow rhythm every now and then pulling back to taste and tease until finally he couldn't take it and pulled her off of him gently.

"There are some things that a gentleman doesn't do, and that is one of them. I always want to be inside you when I come." He hushed her protests with his lips as he settled her on his lap, his knees coming up behind her as she straddled him, her hands on his chest as she felt him surge up into her.

He leaned up on his hands and countered her thrusts, hearing the slick sounds of their bodies come together as he kept the rhythm slow and easy, feeling as she leaned back on his knees, he came forward more, shifting his weight to his right arm as he wrapped his left around her waist and brought their lips together in a sensual dance, slow and hungry, breath mingling.

Again and again, they met each other in the middle, working towards that completion that they sought so urgently, heat like fire burning a path to where they were joined as she picked up the pace, sliding against his muscled legs.

"Yes, yes, God yes, Gil, harder!"

His free hand came around to caress her breasts as he dipped down and clasped a nipple, swirling his tongue around the reddened bud and her pace sped up as he used his leverage to make her come, her body shaking towards release, clenching around him in time with his thrusts as he came with her, filling her, then rolling them over as he started anew.

"So good." He mumbled incoherently against her neck, laving it with his tongue, tasting the salty sweat, dragging his fangs along the seam and diving forward, taking the plunge as he felt her come again, his second release following hers as he took only a few small pulls before sealing the wound shut. Rolling them to their sides he stroked her back, still hard inside her, letting her catch her breath as he gasped for his own.

"My God, honey." He panted.

"I know…" Her hands trailed up his chest. "As much as I like this, the floor does not make a comfortable bed."

He lifted them carefully, him still buried inside her deeply, they connected with the mattress fully as he caressed her face and started to thrust into her slowly as they laid on their sides. Her right leg tangled with his left as she thrust against him. Her head on the pillow with his, their eyes locked as they kept a gentle rhythm exchanging slow kisses. His hands tracing patterns in her hair as hers roamed his chest.

"Mmm…" She sighed as a slow orgasm rocked through her, feeling him release just a bit after her, his eyes closing in bliss with a soft expression as he leaned forward and connected his lips with hers again.

"Tired?"

She nodded slowly and cuddled up closer to him, their bodies still entwined as he pulled the sheets around them. The air cooling them down slowly.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx


	28. TwentySeven

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI...

A/N: Sorry for the wait, this is one of the last few chapters, soon this story will be completed. Hope you enjoyed the ride, I know I sure did.

WolvGambit

XXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Seven

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

"You've been staring at that map for hours, sire. What more do you hope to find, accomplish even? If we wait too much longer they will be gone."

"You have no patience." Ben sighed and straightened his tie. "You also have nothing useful to offer me anymore."

"The more of us you kill, the less help you're going to get."

"Ah yes, the tie-breaker. The real reason that I keep you around." A dagger was placed at the mans throat. "However, the reason I dispatch of you is because you know too much. You stay here or die, there are no other options for you. Make to mistake of that. If you wouldn't have left the house, then our main lead wouldn't have gotten away."

The dagger disappeared just as fast as it was brought forth, adjusting his coat, he then turned back to the map.

"So what is the plan then?"

"I'm calculating the least noticeable path of entry. If we go in, we might lose. Our numbers are less."

"And whose fault is that?"

"I'll ask you once more to keep your comments to yourself. You've questioned me enough."

The man's lips formed a grim line as he continued to listen to the plan. They'd go in during the day and take what they so desperately needed. However, he felt the cost was too great this time. Much too great.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"What's with the bags?" Sara questioned as she looked at the things Gil was packing away.

"We're going to have to find a new place soon, Sara. Just because there has been no activity for a little over a week doesn't mean that he's not searching for us."

"So we're going to give up our home, run away?"

"What else would we do, Sara? We can not fight him, not now at least. Jim isn't fully transitioned yet and you haven't been taught your limits." He sighed. "It's dangerous."

"We don't have to leave; we should stay and keep what we have."

"At what cost Sara? It's just too much to even think about." He let his head fall down till his chin was on his chest. "I won't lose you, this house is material, but what we have is something more than everything I own in this world."

"Well I don't like being forced to move out just because someone is knocking at our door that we think we can't fight off. It's been a long time and you know that their numbers have to have dwindled by now. Don't you at least consider that as a possibility?" Her arms crossed over her chest as she gave him a solid glare.

Sighing he stopped packing and walked towards her, enveloping her in his warm embrace. "Is it your wish?"

"You know it is; it always will be. We're happy here, why should we let someone take away our happiness?" She paused in her thought process. "I just don't want us to be running for the rest of our lives."

"I understand." He kissed her deeply. "So what do you think we should do?"

"Well, I have a theory. There would be two reasons why he hasn't attacked yet."

His eyebrow shot up in response. "Those reasons would be…one, he doesn't know where we are."

"And two, he knows where we are but he wants us to go back to our lives so we'll be unprepared…" She was cut off by his lips slamming against hers and they wound up on the bed with clothes scattered everywhere.

"You are very observant." He chuckled at her dazed expression.

"I try."

Sighing, they lay side by side, entwined in each other's embrace. "We'll stay and take him on and I promise you, he will not remember much when I'm finished with him."

She snuggled deeper into his embrace. "I love you."

"And I love you."

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He's going to get us all killed, is that what you want?" The man asked as he turned towards the others. "Ben has gone completely mad now."

"I agree." A second man came out from the shadows, a cigar clenched firmly between his teeth. "I've been saying that for years but no one has really believed me."

"And who are you?"

"My name is of no importance, but I know each of you." He stepped out of the shadows, his face severely scared and burned. A long scar going down his left cheek all the way down towards the bottom of his chin; several burning patterns followed in its wake. "I was once a proud member of the society until I figured out how unforgiving it could be."

"Where is your mark?" Questioned a man in the back row.

He removed his shirt and tossed it behind him, turning around he showed a burned impression along his spine of chains, roses, and thorns. "I have only been marked once and I swear that no iron or needle shall ever touch my flesh again."

"So how do we get back to our normal lives?"

"Easy, dispatch of the one who holds your soul." He turned back to face the group. "Kill Ben, destroy the curse set upon us."

"All of this time we could've been free?"

"Yes, but no one knew of this secret. I happen to come across it when I snuck through the old papers from over a hundred years ago. We are bound by the curse, by his doing. He has corrupted our bodies with his filth. His essence, the result of being under the influence of Vampire blood for so long. It is why his spirit is weak and his temper is uncontrollable."

"How do we do it?"

"How do you kill a Vampire?" He smirked. "Cut his head off."

"But he is not one…it's impossible."

"No, but his mutation makes him just as dangerous as one." He shook his finger back and forth in a scolding motion, then tossed a book on the table. "Read up and be ready, this will tell you everything you need to know about the blood, the mutations that take place and what prolonged exposure can do. He'll be moving in on the Vampires in a few days, we must be ready to strike by then because if we're not, everything is doomed."

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

"Where are the books!" He held the man in question by the throat against the wall. "The books are not to leave my study!"

"I don't know, sire." The servant hissed out in strangled breaths. "They were there and I locked the study before I left."

Ben squeezed a bit harder and his eyes connected with the servant. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes, sire." He clawed at his hand. "I triple checked the locks before I departed."

Dropping the man to the ground, he watched as he grabbed his neck while slumping against the wall. "I want the man found."

"I'll get on it immediately." The servant bowed after a coughing fit, quickly hurrying out of the way.

"See that you do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sara where have Jim and Heather gotten to?"

"They went to the movies, babe. Said they were getting cabin fever and needed some alone time." She shouted from the bedroom.

"Was wondering why it was so quiet." He chuckled as he stirred some veggie soup and turned the salmon on the grill pan. "Dinner is almost ready, honey."

"I'll be in there in a minute."

"Take your time sweetheart, the soup still has a little bit longer to cook."

A few moments later he watched her exit out of the hallway, her hair still partially damp, as he continued to place the fish onto the plates and spoon soup into the bowls. Her smile was one of those delightful crooked smirks that made his insides sing and his body shake with laughter.

"Smells wonderful."

"Mmm." He walked forward and enveloped her in his embrace. His face buried in her neck as he inhaled deeply. "As do you, my dear. A scent that I shall never tire of. A scent that will always remain ingrained in my mind."

"Mmmhmm. I wish I'd have run into you a long time ago." She sighed against his shoulder as he pressed her closer.

"Any earlier and you'd be too young, or you wouldn't have existed my dear. It's strange to see the world changing before your eyes and knowing that if you become attached to someone you will only be able to be with them for so long. A tragedy in itself to be only living partly instead of completely." He sighed as he pulled back and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Let's eat."

She smiled and nodded as they carried their food to the table.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

"It's interesting how many things have changed in my existence." Heather sighed as she leaned against Jim and his arm wrapped around her as they walked down the strip. "Before we branched off, the society didn't even permit television."

"There are a lot of things the society didn't permit you to do, I take it." Jim sighed as he pulled her closer and plucked the soda from her hands to take a sip. "Strict bunch of assholes, huh?"

"In more ways than one." She paused for a brief moment before continuing. "But it was our way, it was the way it's always been for our kind. Humanity, no offense, has always done what we cannot and I've often been curious to learn about it. I used to study it when we moved out here, had a temporary job too once as a psychiatrist."

"How did that work out for you?"

"It was amazing, I helped so many people with their problems. Learned so much from them as they learned from me. However, the society caught on to my interaction with the human world and shut my practice down. It was a sad day for me, however John made up for it when he came home that night." She shook her head, her hair falling in front of her face. "What many people don't know is the dark side to us, sometimes. Males command respect, dominance, I find that the females do also. I used to study this as well, those animal instincts that remind us of our baser nature."

"Mmm, not all of us are cruel. Human or Vampire."

"No, but we are capable of it, every last one of us."

"That we are." Silence filled the space between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. They walked through the heady neon glow back to the townhouse. Life was okay for the moment, that's all that mattered.

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

Something was going on, he could sense it. Even though his other senses were temporarily toned down due to lack of feeding, he could feel something dark was about to take place. He sighed as he made his way down the long study, dimmed by lit candle light and darkened by years of use. In his minds eye he knew that it was useless to resist the calling in his blood as someone grabbed him from behind and had him dragged into an open room.

Darkness encircled his form, pitch black and earth swallowing. The reality became warped as he could feel them all around him. Unnamed men and women that he bound to him, his servants. For the first time in his life he felt fear grip him on the back of the neck. An icy cold reminder that death was inevitable. The cold chill spread down his back, setting a tingle to his spine as his body convulsed and racked in an ever increasing shiver-like seizure.

Finally throughout all the darkness, there was light. A candle was brought to life on the other side of the room, illuminating a cruel face directly in front of his own. A face he remembered and didn't all the same. Eyes glowing with hatred and malice, connecting with his disjoined stare as he was held down on his knees by the rest of the occupants of the room.

The man's voice was hollow, deep, and unrecognizable. "Welcome Ben, to your death. I hope that you enjoy your stay…" His face was even closer as he focused on the minute details. "We've sure enjoyed ours."


	29. TwentyEight

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI...

AN: This is probably going to be the last chapter unless I decide to do an eplogue, but don't look for it. It's been a fun ride and I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did.

WG

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Twenty-Eight

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

Work was work, as usual. A tiresome dilemma of quarrelsome problems. It was no different than any other night, except for the fact that her senses seemed to be on high alert. Gil assured her it was normal, but she still couldn't help feeling uneasy about it. Her nose caught smells that she couldn't identify yet, her eyes were sharper, and her hearing crisper. Her libido had also spiked in intensity and was the present source for her lack of concentration.

"Sara, you alright? You seem off tonight." Nick asked from beside her as he turned a chair backwards and sat down next to her.

"I've just been feeling a little off lately, is all. I guess I'm finally happy to be finished with college for a while, I have a great love life, and Jim is happy." She smiled thoughtfully.

"What about you, Sara? I know that you're going to tire of working here after while. Gil takes care of you, doesn't he?"

"He insists on it, but I just want to have my own things…you know?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I do know. Greg's been asking about you."

"How's his vacation going? I haven't seen him since you forced me to take off." She laughed.

"He's doing fine, and you needed the time off. I could tell." He smiled. "Anyway, Sara it's time for you to head home."

"Alright, you take care."

"You too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxx

His body ached, his mind felt strange, and his head drooped on his chest. Sounds, voices, images, memories…what was happening to him.

"Oh, you'll find out…soon enough. Killing you is just too easy, you must suffer."

That voice…had he spoken his thoughts out loud? He couldn't remember, fear gripped him again reminding him suddenly that for all his fighting, false pretenses and bravado, underneath it all he was a coward. His body drained and drugged, felt completely heavy as the chair he was seated in was kicked roughly on his side. His body roughly connecting with damp concrete. One of the cells he used to keep his prisoners in. The irony of the situation seemed laughable to a point, but no longer. His death was soon, he was sure of it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sara had arrived home a few minutes ahead of schedule and was greeted in the bedroom by her favorite man. Jim and Heather had been searching for a new place to replace his old apartment. He was no longer safe, they both knew, and even so they didn't want to intrude any more on Gil and Sara's place. It wouldn't be fair.

She had passed him in the living room flipping though the newspaper looking for apartment ads. Smiling, she kissed his cheek and playfully rumpled his hair.

Sighing, she stood in front of the dresser brushing out her hair when he came up behind her and took over for her. Gently brushing the knots away and kissing her neck gently in the process.

"Welcome home, honey. Was work okay?" He sighed softly, nuzzling her.

"It was alright, but my sense perception is still a little off."

He nodded. "All normal dear."

"Yeah but it's still a bit strange at times." She sighed and leaned into him as he continued to get the kinks out of her hair.

"I miss you in curls, sweetheart." He stated offhandedly.

"Well unfortunately Vegas weather doesn't let me have my hair that way." Gil pouted and she laughed lightly. "You are something else, you know that don't you?"

"I just try to keep you happy my dear."

"You do a good job of that."

"I'm glad."

XXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxx

"What are we doing now? He's dead, why are we lingering around here."

"Because there is still work that needs done." The scared man turned towards the group and sighed. "We have exactly twenty-four hours to split him apart and bury him. That and I have a message to deliver to some people who are deserving of it."

"Fine." The younger man huffed and picked up a bag of tools. "This better be worth it."

"It will be, we will all gain our freedom, I've wanted it for the last three centuries. Nothing would please me more."

He looked down at the table containing an address and a map. It was time to pay them a visit…

XXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

"Something is wrong." Sara stated suddenly as they were washing the dishes at the sink in the kitchen. Her body had been on edge all day, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. "It's been bothering me all day, Gil."

"I sense something too, Sara. But I don't think it's anything bad. However, there is something going on, some change in the balance of all things." He placed a hand on hers as she put the last dish in the drying rack. "I feel peace."

Her head shook. "I feel anger and fear."

"Yes, but it's very subtle."

"Sitting down she tried to calm herself, but then there was a knock on the door."

As he moved to go to it she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Don't."

"Sara, there is no danger. I'd be able to feel it."

He moved to the door and opened it a crack to see a man standing with scars gracing his face and he was holding out something for him to take.

"Who are you?"

"Someone you will forget in the future, someone who's just ensured your freedom. Ben is dead, you are free and so are the rest of us bound by his curse." He held out the object again. A silver pendant with a triple sword crest puncturing a heart. "Take it and keep it hidden."

"Who are you?"

"I was once his son, but now I'm only known as death and resurrection. A most valued apprentice against the will of my mind, but no longer. I rejoin the world as a shadow forever more. Live long Vincent." He held out his hand and Gil took it in his own giving it a firm shake.

"Who was it?" Sara asked softly as he closed the door behind him.

"A man who calls himself death has finally ended the curse."

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxx

His sharp eyes cast out onto the open field where several graves had been spread out, the house being renovated and the dungeon being closed off and sealed in concrete never to be opened again. The final step was being completed as the house was torn down right in front of his eyes, tree's being planted in it's place and the land forever settled in the dust.

Pulling on his jacket he stepped away from the place he'd lived for the past sixty years and spit on it. It was time to move on…the shadows called him.


	30. Epilogue

**A/N: Well I thought I wasn't going to do an epilogue but it appears that I am because there is going to be a 'Prequel'. However, the 'Prequel' will be posted when I get it to at least chapter 10 and not before. I will, however, put the summary on my profile page here and on GSR Forever Love website. **

**Take Care,  
WG**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI..._**

XXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxx

Epilogue

XXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxx

The house was decidedly quiet as he started to pull some things out of a box he'd put in a closet a long time ago. It was then that he came across something wrapped in plastic and he carefully wiped the dust off of it and opened the package.

The cover was a faux gold inlay with his birth name inscribed on the cover. His eyes widened in shock as he opened the book to see his own hand writing stare back at him from his time in the society. He thought it had been lost to him forever. Skimming though it he came across a particular entry and a sketch that caught his attention. That's when the front door opened to reveal the woman of his dreams.

Doing a double take he realized that the woman in the picture and Sara looked exactly the same only the picture was decidedly a decade older. Gil's mind ran for ages until her voice brought him out of his haze.

"Gil, are you alright?"

"You're her…I thought I'd banished the thoughts from my mind so long ago, but you're her." He walked towards her with the picture and journal in hand.

"Gil, you're scaring me. I'm who?"

"You're her. The woman I've hungered for; craved for almost my entire life. The reason I felt so empty during those lonely years." He held up the sketch so she could see it. "You're Vivian Ross."

Sara's eyes widened as she looked at the picture in front of her. A woman in her mid to late 30's with her hair tied back in a bun with features completely identical to hers. The dress matched the time period in which it was drawn and the eyes that looked back at her from the page were mirror images of her own. She was sitting on the balcony with her hands crossed in her lap and she had a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"What? A past life?"

"Oh so much more than that." He reassured her. "My soul calls to you just as yours does to me. We met at the society, you were one of the servants and I fell completely in love with you then."

"What happened?"

"You died two years before I was exiled. I was seeing you in secret. You're heart gave out. I remember it all now, Sara. I banished it from my mind because I couldn't deal with the pain but you were my everything, and you still are." He pulled her in for a kiss. "Someday I'll let you read this and you can know everything."

"I think." She sighed into his neck. "I think I always knew deep down, even though I didn't want to believe it."

"I love you."

"And I love you…"

-End-


End file.
